Fall Into Me
by tiny dancer
Summary: Completed! The trio is living together in a flat, but things get complicated when a love triangle is formed. Please r&r!
1. At the Flat

Hi everyone! Finally, here's the very first chapter of my brand-new story, called _Fall Into Me._ It's my second story, but you don't have to have read the first one to understand what's going on in this one. Please please please r&r, but also, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. JK Rowling does. 

~*~

"Honey, I'm home!" Harry Potter shouted mockingly as he entered his flat. He tossed his keys onto a nearby table before heading for the kitchen.

Roommate and best friend Hermione Granger was sitting at the round kitchen table, surrounded by books. She looked up, though, as Harry came into the room. "Hi, Harry," she greeted pleasantly. She flashed him a smile before turning back to her studies.

Harry couldn't help but grin as he went to his room to get dressed in more comfortable clothes. Though they had graduated from Hogwarts a few years ago, some things hadn't changed. Hermione was still the same girl with brown hair, brown eyes and an obsession for studying. And Harry was still passionate for Quidditch.

Yet, as Harry searched his room for fresh clothes, he couldn't help but think of a few of the things that _had_ changed. For instance, instead of studying for a Transfiguration or Potions test, Hermione was studying to become a Healer at St. Mungo's. She was beginning to take some pride in her appearance (finally having purchased a shampoo that was also a hair sleeker), and was beginning to loosen up a little. She even had a boyfriend.

Harry's life had certainly changed for the better. He was getting paid to play Quidditch as Puddlemere United's Seeker; he lived with his two best friends and he had a girlfriend. 

He finished changing, then went back to the kitchen, where Hermione was packing up her books.

"Taking a study break?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been at it for hours. How was practice?"

"The usual. It's so odd to have Wood as a captain again," he commented, opening up the fridge and pulling out two butterbeers. "But I don't mind."

He sat down across from her and they drank in a companionable silence. Harry was grateful for it. Sometimes, his life got too hectic, and these were the moments that kept him sane. 

"Have you heard from Ron at all today?" he asked finally, brushing a lock of jet-black hair out of his bright green eyes.

Hermione nodded. "He'll be home around six, he said."

Ron Weasley was their other roommate and best friend. He was currently working at the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

"It's your turn to make dinner tonight," Hermione went on.

Harry groaned. He'd totally forgotten about that. "I told Lav I'd take her out to dinner tonight."

He and Lavender Brown were the on-again, off-again type, though at the moment, they were "on." She designed robes, cloaks and other sorts of wizard clothing, and worked in a shop down in Hogsmeade. As a result, she lived in a flat in the all-wizarding village, which was located a few hours' distance from the trio's flat. They rarely saw each other, but he cared for her a lot and was determined to make it work.

"Harry! You promised!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Please, Hermione? Just for this once?" Harry asked, trying his best to look innocent.

"Harry, no, I'm not cooking dinner on _your _night!"

"Come on, Hermione!" Now he flashed her a winning smile that she returned.

"Oh, all right. Just this once."

"Thanks. You're the best." Harry drained his bottle of butterbeer, and stood up to put it by the sink. As he passed Hermione, he paused to kiss her head. "I owe you." 

*

Ron and Hermione balanced their plates in their laps as they tried to agree on a television show to watch.

"So where exactly is Harry?" Ron asked as they skimmed through the channels for the third time.

"Out with Lavender. They're eating somewhere between here and Hogsmeade."

"Oh."

Hermione sighed. She hated Harry and Lavender as a couple. They just didn't seem right together; they constantly broke-up and got back together. Hermione knew what Harry wanted was an actual, solid relationship.

_Oh, come off it. That's what you want. With him._

But, no. It wasn't meant to be. Harry loved Lavender and Hermione had a boyfriend, Derrick Winters, with whom she went to school with.

"Aha! Think I've got it!" Ron crowed suddenly. "How about this?" he asked, pointing the remote control at the television set. Ron had grown up without watching television, but after Harry and Hermione bought one, he'd been glued to the set each night.

Images of a monster truck rally flashed rapidly across the set. Hermione rolled her eyes as she noticed that Ron was already transfixed.

She put her plate on the coffee table and stood to leave. 

"Where you going?" Ron asked, not taking his eyes off the t.v.

"I'm not hungry anymore. You…you just enjoy your monster truck rally," she mumbled. She hurried away to her bedroom, where she stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep.

*

When Hermione awoke the next morning, she didn't feel much happier about the way things were going. But after half an hour of lying there, she finally crawled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. She swung the door open, and—

"Oh, my god!" she shrieked. 

"Oh, my god!" Lavender echoed.

Hermione slammed the door shut, separating them. She'd just walked in on Lavender. Wearing nothing but a towel.

_At least it's something, _Hermione thought gratefully.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione said through the closed door. It opened again, and Lavender was looking at her with a pleasantly calm expression on her face.

"It's no big deal. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. Come in! Do you need anything?" Lavender stepped back invitingly.

"Oh, um, thanks," Hermione said awkwardly. She squished into the tiny bathroom, realizing how weird this was.

"Harry and I came back here last night," Lavender explained unnecessarily. She began to dry her hair with her wand.

"Ah." Hermione looked for her toothbrush.

"Hey, Lav, I didn't find your—oh, uh, Hi, Hermione," Harry said, appearing in the doorway. He, too, was wearing only a towel. 

"Hi, Harry."

There was an awkward silence; then, "Lav and I came back here last night."

"So I've heard."

There was another silence, though this one was much longer and more awkward. Finally, Hermione dropped her toothbrush to the sink. "I'll give you two some privacy." 

And that, she decided as she raced back to her bedroom, was perhaps one of the worst 

ways she could've started her day.

~*~

So, that was the first chapter. What'd you think? I hope you liked it. More coming soon—and if you review, that'd be really, really cool! Thanks!! 


	2. Unhappy Together

Yay! People are reading my second story! *does a little dance* Thank you very much to Ramy, Lady Starlight so kiss my ass, clyde, usha88, SummrMagic, Danski (how'd you do on your exams??), Irish Phoenix, PotterGirl, Alexi Lupin, Bachy A, babygirl4U, Hawkeye and cyberfrogX, who reviewed the first chapter!

Now, I will admit, this chapter isn't my favourite, as it's more of an informative chapter than plot-advancing, but this is stuff you kinda need to know for future reference. 

If I haven't scared you off, please r&r and enjoy!

Oh! And the title is a little play on words of the song "Happy Together," by the Turtles. 

__

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, so therefore, Harry Potter (sadly) does not belong to me. And neither does the song Happy Together_because that belongs to the Turtles._

~*~ 

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Lavender asked mournfully.

"Yes," Harry insisted, holding her close.

"Promise?" 

"Promise. But I have to go, I'm already late. And so are you."

"Yeah, all right. Bye, Harry." Lavender reached up and kissed him. Just as Harry began to get into it, Lavender pulled back. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Bye, Lav." 

Finally Lavender let go and slowly slinked out the front door, her face tragic. Harry suppressed a grin as he hurried back to his room, searching for his robes. Lavender could be so dramatic. 

"Harry! Are you almost ready?" called out Ron from across the flat.

"Yeah, almost!" Harry shouted back, who began to frantically search his room. Relief washed over him as he spotted his robes bunched up on the floor. He stuffed them into his bag and ran to meet up with Ron.

"Took you long enough!" Ron said, but Harry saw him grinning. Together, they left the flat and set out for the Ministry of Magic.

This was a daily tradition: the two would walk to the nearby Ministry, where Ron stopped to go to work and where Harry Apparted the rest of the way to the Quidditch pitch to practice. It gave them a chance to talk without interference.

"So, you and Lavender are doing all right, I take it?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I guess. It seems like it."

Ron glanced at him sideways. "What do you mean?"

Harry shrugged half-heartedly. "Mixed signals, you know? At first she has no time for me, then she doesn't want to leave my side. It's weird."

Ron laughed. "Women are strange."

"You don't have to tell me that twice. How are things with you and Daisy?"

"It's all right. But I'm not sure if I want to have a steady relationship. She's getting serious and I just want to have fun."

Harry laughed heartily. "Bet your mum loves that."

"Yeah, right." It was common knowledge that Mrs. Weasley was constantly on Ron's case about settling down and getting married. "Just because of Fred."

Fred, one of Ron's many brothers, was getting married in a few months to Angelina Johnston, a fellow ex-Hogwarts student and Quidditch captain and player. Ever since the engagement was announced, Mrs. Weasley had begun harassing her other sons—and Harry—about marriage.

Ron shook his head. "She'll just have to wait a few more years before _I_ settle down." 

The two walked the rest of the way to the Ministry together, where they went their separate ways.

"See you tonight, Harry. And don't forget. _You_ have to cook dinner tonight!"

*

Hermione was in a rotten mood by the time she got home from the university. Between the horrible way her day had started and how awful it felt to be leading Derrick on, she wasn't feeling very happy. To top it off, it was Thursday, which had meant that she'd had evening classes. She was tired, grumpy and hungry when she finally walked through the door.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is, Harry! It's Little Miss Sunshine!" Ron teased.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled, dropping her bag to the ground. "I'm not in the mood."

"Obviously."

"Ron you're—" Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.

"Hey, 'Mione, come here and taste this!"

Reluctantly, Hermione joined Harry in the kitchen, where he appeared to be making a type of sauce.

He casually put his arm around her as he offered her a spoonful of the sauce.

"Hey, this is actually good!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that. Now, if you'll come over here…" Harry lead her over to a large pot on the stove and opened the lid. "See?"

Hermione peered into the pot. "Spaghetti. Again. Great."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "It's the only thing I can make that won't burn. That, and salad."

Ron rolled his eyes. "That much is true. He may be the famous Harry Potter, but he can't cook worth a damn."

Hermione felt her spirits lifting as they drifted into a conversation that took place every three nights, when Harry made dinner.

"Actually, you'll be pleased to know I'm learning how to make lasagna," Harry announced, stirring the pot.

"At least we'll have variety now," commented Ron.

"That's right. Lavender's teaching me."

"I don't like lasagna," Hermione said tersely.

"Really? Uh-oh." 

Ron laughed. "Nice going, Potter."

Harry sighed. "I'll just get her to teach me to cook something else. But in the meantime, dinner's ready."

A few minutes later, they sat down to eat. "So, how was your day, Hermione?" Harry asked.

She sighed in frustration. "Long and unpleasant. And I'm thinking of breaking up with Derrick."

A stunned silence filled the room. Then Ron said, "Why?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's just not working out. I don't really like him that way anymore."

"That's too bad," Harry commented.

"Well, I can sympathize. I'm thinking of chucking Daisy."

"Ron, no! I like her. She's very nice."

It was Ron's turn to shrug. "Then you can date her. Look, it's like I told Harry this morning, she's getting really serious about us, but I'm not ready to settle down yet."

There was an uncomfortable pause in which no one seemed to know what to say. Then Harry laughed.

"Aren't we three doing well?" he said. "Ron's chucking Daisy, Hermione's chucking Derrick and I'm—"

"You're chucking Lavender?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.

"No. But things aren't going as well as they used to be, so I don't know what's going to happen next."

"Oh."

As dinner progressed, Hermione felt her bad mood coming back. She wasn't looking forward to tomorrow. True, it was Friday, which meant she didn't have any classes, but tomorrow she'd be breaking up with Derrick. Though she didn't have feelings for him anymore, she still felt guilty about doing it. They'd been together for close to a year. She didn't want to hurt him, but in all honesty, she didn't want to be with him anymore.

_Tomorrow is _not _going to be fun._

~*~

Ok, chapter two is (obviously) done. Please do not hold this chapter against me, I promise that chapter three—which will be posted in a couple of days to make up for this chapter—will be tons better. So, on that note, please review!! 


	3. Haven't Got Time For The Pain

Some news: First of all….wow! Thanks you guys! I'm glad you like my story, and surprised you liked chapter two! I'm also glad some of you found it funny.

Also: I've fixed the formatting problem. I thought it looked a bit weird, but hopefully it's fixed. (I didn't single space it before.) And I really meant to post this days ago, but the site wasn't working, on my computer at least. 

A big thank you to clyde, Ramy, Lady Starlight so kiss my ass, babygirl4U, Hawkeye, Danski (good job on the straight A's! yay for dancing!), Alexi Lupin, PotterGirl (lol, I'm mentioning you again!!), dan fan & Bachy A, who all reviewed chapter 2. Yay! Thanks again!

Personally I think this chapter is a bit better. Something happens! Lol. It's pretty important. 

_Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling and that means Harry Potter et al isn't mine. Also, I do not own "Haven't Got Time For the Pain." Carly Simon does. (I think.)_

So…r&r (if you want…) and enjoy!

~*~

Hermione shuffled her way through the campus in search of Derrick. True, it was Friday and she didn't have any classes, but poor Derrick did. As much as she hated the thought of it, she'd have to break up with him between classes.

_Oh, well, he's gping to hate me anyways,_ she thought, not feeling the slightest bit cheered up.

_I almost don't want to find him,_ she admitted to herself, scanning the student union.

No sooner had she thought that, though, there he was. 

_Damn._

"Hermione? Hey, what are you doing here? It's your day off!" he exclaimed, running up to her. 

She gave a feeble smile. "Yeah, well, you know," was her lame reply. He gave her a puzzled look, so she tried to gain her composure. "Have you got a minute? I…we need to talk."

She held her breath, hoping he'd picked up her clue. Hermione knew perfectly well what the phrase "we need to talk" signified, and she only assumed that everyone else did, too.

Apparently not. He took her hand and led her to a private area of the student union, completely clueless.

"Derrick, I like you a lot—"

"And I like you. A lot."

"We've been together for a while now—"

"I know. It's been great, hasn't it?"

"Yes, yes it has. But—"

"I mean, we've been doing really well here, haven't we? No major fights, no drama, you know?"

"Derrick, I'm breaking up with you!" she blurted out. She hadn't intended to be so blunt, but really! _If he hadn't interrupted me so many times…_

Derrick's handsome features fell. "Hermione, why?"

Looking at the expression on his face made her eyes water. It was only then she realized how much she cared for him.

"I'm really sorry, but things have changed."

"They have?"

"Well, yes. For me, at least."

"I see." His voiced had dropped so low, she could barely hear it. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Is there someone else?"

"Well…" she repeated. "Yes, I think."

"'You think'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that, ok, I have feelings for someone else. But I don't know if he feels the same way."

"It's Harry, isn't it?"

Hermione was taken aback. Was she that obvious? "Er…yes. Yes, it is."

"How long has it been going on for?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

Derrick nodded for a moment, then spoke. "I should've seen this coming, actually. I've noticed the way you look at him these days, like he's the only person you can see. But I thought..." His voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat before speaking again. "See you around, Hermione."

He spun around on the stool he had been sitting off and left the room without a backwards glance.

Hermione sat by herself for a while, thinking about what she had done, then took off for home.

*

Harry pushed the door to Lavender's shop open. It was great being in Hogsmeade again, and he was tempted to visit the school before he took off for his flat. _Well, even if I don't, I'll be seeing it again soon anyways. Fred and Angelina picked the perfect place to get married._

Lavender was busy with a customer, so Harry looked around the shop for a while. Dozens of pretty dress robes were displayed, each a different colour. Another witch was measuring a middle-aged wizard, who was apparently buying a bunch of robes. Harry felt a surge of pride for Lavender. She was doing well for herself.

"Harry!" Lavender called out, beckoning him over. 

"Hey, Lav," he greeted, walking over. "You getting off now?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, suddenly interested in the counter.

"Let's go, then. Is there anywhere you need to go first, or are you all set to go out for lunch?"

"Hmm? Oh, um, yeah. Okay."

"Okay, what? You didn't answer me."

"Yes I did."

"Well? Which is it?"

"The, um, second one?"

"What's with you?" Harry asked as they left the shop. "You seem distracted."

"I'm not. Well, I am a little. I've been thinking a lot, and I….oh, Harry, I met somone else!"

Harry froze. He tried to say something, but found he couldn't open his mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Harry!" she exclaimed tearfully. "But his name is Robert and he's really interested in my work. He works for some big company, and he said he could help me get really famous and open a store in Diagon Alley and he's really nice and funny and sweet and we got along so well and he wants to take me out and I really want to go out with him because I think something could really come of it." Lavender said this pretty quickly, and she needed a moment to catch her breath.

Harry found his voice at last. "So—so, you're breaking up with me?"

Lavender nodded, her eyes streaming tears. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she repeated.

He had nothing to say to her. Instead, he turned and walked briskly, in search of a good place to Disapparate away from Hogsmeade, from her.  
"Harry, wait! Harry!" she called out.

He didn't turn around. Instead, he Disapparated right where he was, leaving her behind.

*

Hermione was snuggled on the couch, under a thick blanket, watching a sappy, romantic movie. It was nighttime, and Harry and Ron weren't home yet.

Ron, she knew, was going to be spending the night at the Burrow. The entire family was to be there to discuss the wedding plans. But Harry had yet to show.

_Or call,_ Hermione thought, looking at the telephone on the wall. Hermione's Muggle parents had insisted she get a telephone in her flat. They were usually the only ones who phoned them, but it had come in handy a few times.

_Where is he? He's usually home on Friday afternoons, but he hasn't been here since this morning. _

Then it hit her. _He's out with Lavender._

Hermione made a face at the thought of Lavender. It was amazing how much she hated her. Reluctantly, Hermione turned her attention back to the movie.

Half an hour later, the door to the flat swung open. Harry walked in without saying a word.

"Harry?" Hermione called out. She flicked off the movie. "Harry, is that you?"

"Yeah," he replied, shuffling towards her. "It's me."

"Where were you?" she demanded. "How come you didn't—Harry, what's wrong?" She was shocked to see the miserable expression on his face.

He collapsed beside her on the couch. "Lav and I broke up."

"Oh, Harry."

"Actually, no. _She_ chucked _me_."

"Ohhh," she said sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that."

He shrugged half-heartedly. "Yeah, well…She chucked me for some bloke named Robert who's apparently going to help her get famous."

"You're kidding me."

"No, actually, I'm not."

Hermione paused to think. This was exactly what she wanted! She was single, Harry was single. She finally had a chance. Suddenly she felt very grateful towards Lavender.

"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked.

He shrugged again. "All right, I suppose," he replied, but Hermione could tell that he wasn't "all right."

"If you're sure," Hermione said with a little sigh. "Do you want to get a pizza for dinner or something? I haven't eaten yet."

"Sure." Harry got up off the couch and slowly made his way to the phone. Hermione could tell how upset he was.

"Hey," she said, getting off the couch too. When he turned around, she gave him a big hug.

He welcomed it. He held on tight. They stayed liked this for a few minutes, taking comfort in each other before letting go.

Their eyes met and Hermione felt her breath catch slightly. 

It was going to happen. 

Their heads inclined towards each other. Slowly they got closer and closer to each other until their lips were touching. 

A moment later, they both jumped back, surprised at what had just happened. But what Hermione found more surprising was that she leaned in to kiss him again. Then again. And again. After the next kiss, they didn't let go. 

_Don't let this be some sort of horribly wonderful dream,_ she prayed as the kiss heated up. His hands slid down to the small of her waist, then pulled her closer to his body. Hermione slid her hands behind his neck and ever so slightly under his shirt. His skin was warm beneath her fingers.

Harry's lips left hers and began to trail down her neck. She couldn't believe this was happening. This was exactly what she wanted. She'd even dreamt about this moment. 

Hermione eventually pushed him back slightly. She had every intention in the world to say something, and maybe even stop him. But before she could, his lips were pressing against hers again, and she found herself melting.

In fact, she found herself melting into him so much, that she began to pull him in the direction of her bedroom. Harry didn't resist her at all. Together they headed towards her room, kissing each step of the way.

They reached her room. She fumbled behind herself until she found the doorknob. The door swung open. They stepped into the room and shut the door behind them…

~*~

See? Something did happen! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I've changed the rating of this story, just in case, though I don't think it's totally necessary. Moving on, chapter four will be up shortly. 


	4. You Shook Me

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was going to have this up a lot sooner. Then I got writer's block. Then my grandmother died so I was away for a while. But here it is, finally, I'm sorry for the wait.

Huge thank you!!! to the awesome chapter 3 reviewers:clyde2, Harry-Potter5972, Ruth, Laura, Ramy, Danski, cyberfrogX, llevan, Bunny Girl, Lady Sunlight, Hawkeye10, Alexi Lupin, Miss Lupin1, Bachy A, Nicole Black, Fairuz, Lady Starlight so kiss my ass, 0_o wowzers, takari4ever7, ears91, PotterGirl12, SpAcEmAnSpiFF2 and bamaslamma29. Thank you so much, I'm glad that you liked the chapter. Sorry if I forgot anyone or misspelled someone's name. 

__

Disclaimers: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, J.K. Rowling does. I do not own "You Shook Me," which is a Zeppelin song.

Enjoy! Please r&r if you want!! And there's the slightest, itsy bitsy spoiler for book 5, but don't worry, it won't give anything away. There's one scene where they talk about their accomplishments, and the latter half—the stuff about Voldie—is totally made up. So no worries!

~*~

Early the next morning, the sun glared through the window. As the drapes had not been shut the night before, there was nothing from stopping the rays from shining—brightly—into Harry's eyes.

With a slight groan, he reached to his right, groping for his glasses, which he always kept on his nightstand.

But the nightstand wasn't there.

Harry blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus, but without his glasses he could barely see. Where was he? 

It was then that Harry suddenly there was someone beside him. He peered at the figure, trying to make out who it was.

It sort of looked like…but it couldn't be…could it?

_Oh my god! It is! _

Hermione!

Harry began to panic silently. _What happened last night?_ he wondered frantically. He tried to recall yesterday's events.

_Lavender broke up with me, I wandered around aimlessly for several hours, came home, talked to Hermione, we kissed, then—_

Ah.

He remembered how they'd kissed their way to her bedroom last night. Never once did they stop to think about, or even question, their actions. He could remember falling asleep with her curled up next to him, and how surprised he was at how strange it wasn't to be sleeping next to her.

Now, though, Harry wondered what would happen when she woke up. Would she regret what they'd done? Would she be freaking out? Would it ruin their extremely close friendship?

_I should leave, before she wakes up,_ he decided, making to slide gracefully out of bed. But he stopped himself when he caught sight of her blurry profile.

_I can't ditch her like this,_ he realized, settling back into bed. _She's my best friend. I'll do the right thing and wait for her to wake up. _

Besides, I can't find my glasses. Or my clothes.

Harry lay there for a few minutes until Hermione finally stirred.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with unfocused eyes.

"Er, good morning," he said.

Hermione's eyes closed for a moment, then they opened wide with shock. "Harry!"

"Sleep well?" he asked lamely.

"Harry—you—we—we—" she stuttered, completely at a loss for words.

"I know," he replied tightly. "We've never done that before, have we?"

"No!" she exclaimed, her face turning pink.

"Um, do you think you could pass me my glasses? I think they're over there," he said, pointing to a small hazy shape on a larger hazy shape that could only be his glasses on a nightstand.

Carefully, Hermione reached over and passed him his glasses, taking care not to reveal any more of her body than her head and arms.

"Thanks," he said, slipping them on. Suddenly everything came into focus. "That's much better."

Hermione sank back into bed, a miserable expression on her face.

"Hermione? What's the matter?" he asked.

She didn't answer him; instead, she pulled the sheet closer to her body. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Hermione, about last night…look, we got carried away, that's it. You were being a good friend to me, and we got lost in the moment. It's no big deal."

She sat up, still hugging the sheet tightly around her. "But it is, Harry," she said in a soft voice. "It's a big deal because it's you. And me. It's _us_. It's a big deal to me."

Harry sat up too. "I didn't mean it like that, 'Mione. I just meant that it's nothing to worry about or get upset over."

"Didn't it mean something to you?"

"Of course it did. Like you said, it's us. It's different than being with just anybody."

For the first time since she woke up, Hermione smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

Harry sank back into the mattress, resting against the pillows. Hermione followed suit but rested her head against his chest. 

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we?" she asked softly.

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Like rescuing the Philosopher's stone—"

"—Figuring out what was in the Chamber of Secrets—"

"—Going back in time to rescue Sirius—"

"—Helping you get through the Triwizard Tournament—"

"—Going to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry—"

"—Fighting with the Order against Voldemort and the Death Eaters—"

"—Saving the wizarding world and finally defeating Voldemort."

"Actually, you did that on your own," she pointed out.

"I couldn't have done it without your help," he said sincerely.

"And we're still best friends, after all that." She paused, then continued, "You know, after all that we've been through, last night doesn't seem bad anymore."

Harry laughed. "That's good to hear," he told her.

*

Half an hour later, they were both out of bed and dressed. They both pitched in to make a great breakfast of fresh waffles with strawberries, scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. As neither had eaten anything in many hours, they were famished.

Hermione could feel a slight tension hanging in the air. Sure, things had been fine and dandy while lying in bed, but now that they had showered and dressed, it was suddenly awkward. They'd be alone in the apartment until late afternoon, when Ron came home.

She turned the bacon over and decided to check on the waffles, which were warming in the oven, but Harry was blocking it, cutting up the strawberries on the counter space above.

"Er, I have to, um…" she said, pulling on the oven mitts. 

"Right, sorry," he said, jumping out of the way. "I'll go check on the eggs."'

_No,_ she groaned. _I was going to do that after!_ The bacon and eggs were cooking on the same element.

As slowly as possible, she made sure the waffles weren't beginning to burn, but this task took about ten seconds. She glanced over her shoulder and watched Harry cook.

Hermione blushed furiously and suddenly as she tried to block out last night's events. True, she was still in mild shock over what had happened. But she couldn't deny to anyone—not even herself—that she had enjoyed it.

He must have sensed her watching him, because he turned around suddenly. Just as quickly, Hermione whipped around and began to fumble with the strawberries. "I'll just finished cutting these up," she said to the wall, trying to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible.

"All right," Harry replied, just as nonchalant.

Ten minutes later, breakfast was finally ready. They sat across from each other, eating furiously and avoiding each other's eyes.

_Say something. Anything. Something is better than nothing,_ she kept on saying to herself. 

"Um, Harry, I…" she said, unsure of where she was going with it.

Harry looked up expectantly.

"This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed suddenly. "We were fine half an hour ago. What happened?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Last night didn't change anything between us, right?"

"No. No, of course not," he answered quickly.

Hermione frowned and pushed her plate away from her. "Harry? Why exactly do you think we…why did we let that happen?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. Why _did_ you kiss me?"

"Me, kiss you? Oh, no, _you_ kissed _me_."

"Fine. We kissed each other. Happy?"

"Yes," she said sullenly.

"But you pulled me into your bedroom," he pointed out. 

"I did _not_!" she insisted, but her cheeks flushed. She had, and she knew it.

Harry raised his eyebrows, and Hermione dissolved into giggles. She had to admit defeat. "Okay, fine! I did. But you didn't stop me."

"I didn't want to."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that, so she resumed eating. Her appetite was back, now that they had gotten some of the awkwardness out of the way. "Should we tell Ron anything?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I don't reckon he'd be pleased with us."

"Besides, it was just a one-time thing. Right?"

"Right."

"I mean, it was just a rebound thing."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Nothing to worry about."

"Mm-hmm."

_So that's that, _she thought. _It's nothing. _

But why doesn't it feel that way?

*

__

Harry flipped another page in the book he was reading, already forgetting what he had just read. He just couldn't concentrate. What happened last night was driving him mad.

_We both agreed it was no big deal. So stop thinking about it!_ he commanded himself.

But he couldn't. On the contrary, it was all he could think about. He had been upset about Lavender; he'd been looking for some sort of comfort. And he'd found it.

Several hours later, though, it was turning into something more. It was no longer the result of him needing to get the break-up off his mind for a while. It was now the result of a new idea in the back of his mind.

_Would it be so wrong? Really? _I'm _miserable about Lavender, _she's _miserable about all that stuff with Derrick. Why would it be so bad?_

Because she's your best friend, and she'd never go for it. It's pointless thinking about it.

Harry slammed the book shut and flung it to the ground. He needed to get out of the flat for a while, go for a walk and sort out his thoughts.

He was just about to pull on his coat when Hermione came into the room. "I was thinking about taking a walk. Want to come?"

For Harry, that was it. Just the fact that they had had the same idea was reason enough to go ahead and suggest his idea. He didn't care if it was unorthodox for them. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure."

"I know that this is going to sound weird, but I had this idea—"

"You had an idea? That _is_ weird," she teased.

"I had this idea," he repeated, talking over her. "I'm not sure if you'll go for it, but, well…I'm not seeing anyone, and you and Derrick are…"

"Broken-up," she filled in.

"Right. And since we're both not seeing anyone, I thought…oh, this is stupid. Never mind. Forget I mentioned it."

"No. Tell me."

"After last night, I thought we could have a fling or something. You know, have a little fun. Nothing serious."

Harry nearly cringed when he said this. He would've given anything to go back in time and keep his mouth shut. _I am such an idiot!_ he thought, mentally cursing himself.

Hermione watched him for a minute. "So you're saying," she began very slowly, "you want to have a fling."

"It's just a suggestion."

Hermione studied him, obviously trying to determine whether or not he was kidding her.

"Sorry. Just forget it."

"Actually…okay. Sure."

_"What?"_

"It sounds like a good idea to me. It could be fun. No strings attached, right?"

"Right. But are you sure about this? This isn't usually the sort of thing you do."

Hermione smiled. "I know. But I want to. Really."

Harry was momentarily shell-shocked. He couldn't believe that she was actually agreeing to this! "Wow. Okay, great." He leaned in slightly to kiss her, then leaned back. How exactly was this going to work?

Hermione seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Um, maybe we should…"

This time they both leaned in. It was a brief, slightly awkward kiss, but it was a start. Harry shook himself. If they carried on like this, the next little while would be a disaster. He took a moment to clear his head, then kissed her again.

_This_ was the way he had intended on kissing her. It was a real kiss, like one from the night before. Growing intense, pulling her closer…

Hermione turned her head. "That's much better," she said softly. She stepped back. "This is just going to be between me and you?"

Harry nodded. 

"Good." 

They kissed each other again. There was no going back now.

~*~

*Sighs* That was quite pathetic, the ending is. It's so not what I wanted it to be, but I could not think of anything else to write. I promise promise promise the story will get loads better, something interesting is happening next chapter! It may involve Ron…hehehe. So anyways, hope you liked it and the next chapter is coming super soon. Please review! Thanks! 


	5. Fall Into Me

Wow! Would you look at all those reviews? How amazing! Thank you thank you thank you thank you so very much! You're all so awesome for reviewing! Special thanks to Ruth3, Lady Starlight so kiss my ass, dragonbrat, yummy, Sidhe, lily, kiki-sweets222, Ramy, Irish Phoenix1, Bachy A, fist of dark, the_unnamed, cyberfrogX, chicklet72, Danski, llevan, Jen (aka Potter Girl!), Amanda, ears91, lelie, orlando's # 1 lover, Harry Potter Lover1, Dietpepsigurl and Gabby, who all reviewed chapter four, as well as Secoya, who reviewed chapters one, two and three. Thanks again everyone! Sorry if I missed anyone.

Good news: I've planned out this story in a lot of detail, which means that the following chapters should be posted more consistently. Yay for planning!

__

Disclaimer: I am not, though I wish I was, J.K. Rowling and therefore don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. Also, I am not Emerson Drive (not a big country fan) so I don't own the song Fall Into Me.

Hope you enjoy the chapter, and if you want to, please r&r!

~*~

Ron opened the door of the flat, completely exhausted. It had been a tiring 24 hours. He'd gone back to the Burrow to take part in planning the upcoming wedding, but he'd had no idea how little they would accomplish.

"Hey, guys, I'm home," he called out, trooping into the living room and flopping on the couch. "Hello?"

He heard Harry's door creak open. "Ron? Is that you?" Harry's voice called out.

_Who else would it be?_ "Yeah, it's me," Ron replied, closing his eyes and pulling a blanket over him. He was good and ready for a long nap.

Ron heard footsteps draw near. "How'd the wedding planning go?" Harry's voice asked from nearby.

"All right. We didn't get much done," Ron answered, sitting up with a sigh. Opening his eyes, he looked around the room. "Is Hermione home?"

"Um, she's around somewhere. Gone to do some laundry, I think. So, what went wrong this weekend?"

"What didn't?" Ron countered. "Charlie had to work at the last minute, so he couldn't come, a whole bunch of Angelina's cousins insisted on being in the wedding, George and Mum got into a big row and we got an Owl saying that the Great Hall would be booked at the time of the wedding."

"That's too bad. Where's the wedding going to be?"

"We thought of using the Quidditch pitch at the school."

"That's perfect," Harry said with a grin. 

"I know. Mum's writing back to the school and asking the Headmaster if we can use that instead. If not, we're going to have to find somewhere in Hogsmeade. What'd you and Hermione do last night?" Ron asked, switching topics.

"Oh, um, nothing much, really," Harry replied quickly. "Just, you know, a quiet night. We stayed in. Lavender and I broke up, though."

"Sorry to hear that, mate. What happened?"

Harry made a face. "She met some bloke that is apparently going to help her get famous."

"That's a tough break."

"It's not so bad. I'm fine with it."

"Ron! You're home!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed. The boys looked up to see her coming into the living room from the direction of Harry and Ron's rooms.

"Hi, Hermione. What were you doing on that side of the flat?" Ron asked curiously.

"Oh, uh, I was looking for something in Harry's room that he borrowed," she replied.

Ron glanced skeptically from one to the other. "But Harry was just in there and said he you were doing laundry."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly. "I was," she said tersely. "I mean, I am. I'm going to do his laundry. And yours, if you want."

"You just said you were looking for something in his room that he borrowed," Ron reminded her. Something _very_ strange was going on.

"I was looking for some…socks."

"For the laundry," Harry added quickly.

Ron looked back and forth between his two best friends, positive something was going on. "What happened while I was gone?" he demanded.

"Nothing," the two replied in unison.

"You're both acting even weirder than usual."

"No, we're not. You're just tired, Ron," Hermione said. "You ought to have a nap."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Good idea. Then we can all go out for dinner afterwards."

"We'll treat," Hermione added.

"Well, I can't say no to that," Ron admitted with a grin. "And a nap does sound like a good idea." Ron pushed off from the couch and headed for his room. He noticed how relieved the two looked. "But you two better tell me what's going on when I wake-up!"

*

Harry waited until he heard Ron's door close when he turned to Hermione. "That was close," he said in a low voice.

"Way too close. Next time, think of a better story, will you?"

"Next time, listen better before you come out, will you?" Harry retorted. 

Hermione tsked, but she didn't defend herself. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on."

"Yeah, like no more using my room when we're expecting Ron to come home," Harry suggested. "Even if he comes home earlier, at least the bathroom's on your side of the flat. I can always say I was using it."

"Good idea," Hermione said with a nod. Then she scrunched up her nose slightly. "I don't like lying to him."

"We're not lying to him, Hermione, we're just not telling him the whole truth."

"That sounds a lot like lying."

"Well, it's different."

Hermione pushed him playfully. "If you say so," she said, giggling.

He pushed her back in the same playful way. "I do," he insisted. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The shoving match turned into an intimate hug. 

"But seriously, we've got to be more careful in the future," he told her in a soft voice.

Hermione sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I know, but it's half the fun of this, isn't it? Sneaking around, trying not to get caught."

"Yeah, and we nearly got busted on the first day," Harry pointed out.

Hermione laughed and stepped back from the embrace. "_And_ it's costing us a dinner," she added. "Oh, well, it's worth it, right?"

"Right." Harry kissed her. "Let's get ready for dinner."

*

"Well, _that_ was a complete disaster," Hermione stated casually. It was pretty late in the night, and the trio had gotten back from dinner not long ago. When Ron went off to bed, Harry and Hermione holed up in her bedroom to talk about what had happened at dinner.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," Harry said, though Hermione could tell he didn't believe himself.

"'Wasn't that bad'? Harry, do you even remember what you said when Ron asked what was going on?"

"Yes," Harry said with a sigh.

"'Chicken.' Chicken, Harry! 

"I remember," Harry replied with gritted teeth. "And for your information, I was referring to the fact that we _ordered_ chicken."

Hermione nearly screamed with frustration. "So? We didn't give him an answer, Harry! I bet he knows something's going on between us."

"So? Maybe he should know. He won't care."

Hermione made a face. She didn't exactly like the idea of Ron knowing their business; at the same time, she didn't think they should exclude him from such information. "Maybe we should just forget about this," she said, gesturing around the room. "It's too much of a hassle."

There was a pause. "Fine," Harry said coolly. He slid off the bed and started for the door, but Hermione found herself stopping him.

"Wait. I didn't mean that, really. But it _is_ a little frustrating, you have to admit."

"I know it is, but it's only the first day. We should give it a little time."

"All right," Hermione agreed.

"You don't really want to give this up, do you?" he went on, crawling back onto the bed.

"No," she said with a smile. 

"Neither do I," Harry said, matching her grin. They sank more comfortably on the bed as they kissed.

Suddenly the door swung open. "Hey, Hermione, do you—_Harry?"_

Harry and Hermione bolted upright. "Ron!" they exclaimed in panicked unison.

Ron looked shocked. Then, as he realized what was going on, he started to laugh.

Hermione glanced at Harry, who looked just as taken aback as she felt. "Ron?" she asked tentatively.

Ron's laughter quieted down slightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," he said with a smirk. "I _knew_ something was going on between you two. You're too obvious." Ron chuckled, then said, "How long has it been going on?"

"Since this morning," Harry admitted. 

This caused Ron to nearly explode with laughter. "This morning?" he repeated. "You got caught on the _first day_? That's pathetic."

His laughter was so contagious that Harry and Hermione joined in—though they were also relieved that Ron wasn't angry. After a few minutes, their laughter subsided and Ron said seriously, "I'm happy for you two. You're a good couple."

"Oh, we're not—" Hermione began.

"We're just—" Harry said at the same time.

Ron smiled. "Yeah, I get it. It's just a fling, right? No strings attached?"

They nodded.

His smiled widened. "Yeah, that's what you say now."

*

Weeks went by, and Harry and Hermione were still together. Ron hadn't minded the change in their relationship; all he asked was that they waited until he had left the room before they "did anything," a rule that Harry and Hermione agreed to.

In Harry's opinion, his life couldn't get much better. His Quidditch team had never played better, he was as close to his friends as ever, he had Fred and Angelina's wedding to look forward to _and_ he was having a lot of fun with Hermione.

Harry knew the only danger of his situation with Hermione was love. He knew that if he let his guard down, he could easily fall for her—something he didn't want. _She's my best friend. This is a rebound thing—no strings attached. This is only for fun._ He said this every time he found himself thinking about her.

However, Harry wasn't even worried all that much about falling for her. He was having too good a time to have doubts, and he knew if he had doubts, he could ruin a good thing. 

*

It was a dreary Saturday afternoon. Several weeks had passed since Harry and Hermione had started their fling, and neither had any intentions of stopping anytime soon.

The trio was sitting on the couch, watching an old movie that was playing on the movie network. It had their undivided attention.

Which was why they all groaned as someone knocked on the door. After a moment passed and nobody made a move to answer the door, Ron got up off the couch. "I'll get it," he grumbled.

He came back into the room a few moments later, his face pale and shocked. "Harry," he said in a low voice. "It's for you. It's Lavender."

~*~

Surprise! Lavender's back! Hehehe. That last bit was fun to write. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed that. If you want, please review, and I will love you forever. Next chapter coming soon! 


	6. Want You Back

WOW! Lots of reviews! Yay! Thanks guys! You're all **so** sweet. I'm really glad you are all liking my story! A special thanks to chapter five reviewers: Ramy, cyberfrogX, llevan, ears91, Wraith6, HarryPotterFan17, Isabella Grace, Sidhe, observer, Jen (aka dancingpotter), MEGAN, Otter the Mutter the Gutter (cool name), Millie*A, dragonbrat, crazynrfan, chelita, Harry Potter Lover1, mjk306, Harry-Potter5972, Robaatsu, Bachy A (lol funny review!), rowan Ruth3, takari4ever7 and Gamefreak2000. Thanks for reviewing and thank you all so so much for the compliments! Wow! Sorry if I forgot anyone!

Couple of notes: This chapter may contain spoilers, but only if you haven't read book 5, so heads up. Also, just for future refernce, **~*~** means the chapter is either starting or ending while ***~*** means it's the same scene, but from a different character's POV. Easy to remember! 

__

Disclaimers: Much to my dismay, I am not J.K. Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. Also, the title is a Mandy Moore song.

Ok, enough rambling, here's the chapter! R&R if you want (please please please!) but also, enjoy!

~*~

"Lavender?" Harry echoed. "Lavender's _here_?"

Ron nodded grimly. "She wants to talk to you."

Wordlessly Harry got off the couch and went to the front door. What on earth did she want? And why, after weeks of hearing nothing from her, was she showing up at his flat? Had she forgotten that _she'd_ broken up with _him_?

He suddenly found himself facing Lavender. She looked exactly the same as she did when they broke up. In fact, she even wore the same guilty, upset expression as she had on that fateful day.

"Hi, Harry," she said meekly.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"I want to talk to you. In private," she added, glancing in the direction of the living room.

"All right," Harry said with a sigh. He led her to his room, where they could talk without distractions. As soon as the door was shut, Lavender flung herself at Harry, kissing his lips passionately.

After the shock wore off, Harry managed to push her back, keeping her at a safe distance. "Whoa! Lav, what do you think you're doing?"

Lavender blushed slightly, but her voice was full and steady when she spoke. "I miss you. I want you back."

Harry's jaw dropped open. He hadn't expected her to say that, not after the way she'd ended things. "But what about that Richard—"

"—Robert—"

"—Robert bloke? You chucked me for him, remember? I thought you were together."

Lavender's eyes misted over. "No. Robbie was just using me. He only took interest in helping me because he wanted to sleep with me." A tear trickled down her cheek.

Harry knew she deserved what she got, but all the same, he couldn't help feeling bad for her. "I'm sorry, Lav."

She wiped her eyes quickly. "I am too. For ever thinking any other guy was right for me. I don't even know what came over me. I didn't see how great you are, or how much you mean to me."

Harry sat down on his bed, dazed. Lavender sat beside him, a hopeful expression on her pretty face. "Well?"

"I don't know, Lav," he said. "_You_ broke up with _me_. I haven't forgotten that. And a lot has changed since then."

"I know, but I want to give this another try," she insisted. "I _know_ we're meant to be together."

Harry thought long and hard. Were they meant to be together? She was the first girl he'd ever loved, after all. Plus, even though they constantly broke-up, they always ended up together. They were happy with each other. And he did still care for Lavender a lot.

On the other hand, she had been the one who'd ended things last time. To be with someone else, no less. And the minute this other guy dropped her, she'd come running back to Harry—what was that supposed to mean? Was she serious about seeing the error of her ways? Did she really care about Harry, or was he just her fallback plan?

And what about Hermione? If he did take Lavender back, he'd have to break things off with Hermione, and he didn't want to do that. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized he cared a lot more about Hermione than he was supposed to.

"I don't know," he said at last. "I need some time to think about this."

"I understand," Lavender said quickly. "How about if I come back tomorrow around five? Will you know by then?"

Harry nodded. "That sounds good."

"All right. I guess I'll go, then." Without even hesitating, Lavender leaned in and kissed his lips again, this time more softly. Harry found that he wasn't resisting her at all—he was most definitely kissing her back.

And it felt so right.

Finally Lavender pulled away. "Bye, Harry," she whispered.

She left, leaving him alone with his very confused thoughts.

*

Hermione frowned as Lavender let herself out with a superior smile on her face. What had she wanted with Harry? Judging by the look on her face, Lavender had obviously gotten what she wanted.

__

As always, Hermione thought sourly. She had a horrible suspicion about what Lavender had wanted. Was she really going to be back in their lives? Again? The thought made Hermione feel sick to her stomach.

Finally Harry wandered into the living room, looking lost.

"Harry? What did Lavender want?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry jumped slightly, as if surprised to find himself in their company. Then he shook his head quickly and said, "She wants to get back together."

"What?" exclaimed Ron and Hermione in unison. 

Hermione had been right. Even so, hearing the news out loud made her heart sink.

"She said she misses me and wants to try again." Harry explained what had happened between Lavender and Robert.

"What a bitch," Ron commented angrily.

Normally, Hermione would've scolded Ron for swearing, but this time she agreed with him. In fact, she was convinced she'd thought it first.

"I hope you told her to eat dragon dung, because there's no way you're going to take her back. Right?" Ron asked after Harry didn't reply.

Harry shrugged and took his place on the couch. "I really don't know. I told her I needed some time to think about it," he admitted.

Ron made noises of outrage, but Hermione remained silent. _How could he even _think _about getting back together with Lavender?_ she wondered. _Doesn't he care about me at all?_

No, she reminded herself. _Of course he doesn't. We're just having fun—no strings._

So why have my feelings for him increased? asked a small part of her brain. She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind and decided to say something. "Well, I'm sure you'll make the decision that's right for you," she said lightly.

Both boys stared at her, but Hermione ignored it and tried to turn her attention on the movie they had abandoned. Inside, though, she had the strangest sensation that her heart was breaking.

*

Harry lay awake in his bedroom. It was well past midnight, and indecision was preventing him from sleep.

__

I'm going to take Lavender back, he thought determinedly. 

__

No way. I'm not going to take her back. I'm just her second choice, he thought a moment later. _Besides, I don't want to break things off with Hermione._

But Lav was my first girlfriend and _my first love. How can I really throw that away?_

How can I not? Look at all she's put me through! Things just get too complicated and this time, it's just not worth it.

But maybe, if we give it one more try, we could make things work. Lav really thinks we're meant to be together—what if she's right?

Harry felt very frustrated. He had been arguing with himself ever since Lavender left, and that was hours ago. 

He suddenly thought of Sirius, wondering what advice he would've given Harry. _I bet he would've known exactly what to do,_ Harry mused. The thoughts were unwelcome, though, since he knew he wouldn't be able to ask Sirius for advice. 

To keep himself from thinking why this was so, Harry jumped out of bed and paced his room. _Think about Lavender. Do you really want to be with her? _he asked himself.

__

Yes, but I want to be with Hermione, too.

The latter thought struck him hard. He suddenly realized he didn't just want to have fun with Hermione, he wanted to _be_ with her.

He wouldn't allow himself to admit he might possibly have feelings for her. It was just too weird, too unprecedented, to even think about. 

But at the same time, he couldn't ignore it.

Without thinking, Harry hurried out of his room and crossed the flat to Hermione's. He knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open.

She was awake, looking just as worn out and frustrated as he felt. But his sudden appearance had obviously taken her by surprise.

"Harry! What's going on?" she asked, turning on her bedside lamp.

He made sure the door was shut behind him—though he knew Ron was snoring away across the flat—before he spoke.

"I don't know what to do about Lavender," he said, sitting at the foot of her bed.

Hermione propped her pillows against the headboard and leaned against them. "Well, do you really want to get back together with her?"

Harry shrugged. "I thought so, but then—"

"That's your answer, then," she interrupted.

"But—"

"Harry, it's okay. Really. I understand completely."

"But Hermione—" he tried again.

"We had fun while it lasted, right? We had a good time."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, thinking hard. She was practically telling him to get back together with Lavender. That had to mean that she did not have feelings for him; otherwise, she would've said something. She didn't even seem that upset that he was ending their fling.

__

And what if I'm wrong about my feelings for her? It's late and I'm tired. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing how I feel. Everything always seems clearer in the morning. I'll know then if I actually have feelings for her.

Harry took a deep breath as an idea came to mind. "Yeah, we had a great time together. But even if I take Lavender back, I don't us to stop this."

Hermione looked scandalized. "Harry James Potter, I will _not_ help you cheat on your girlfriend!"

"No," Harry said with a smile. "If I decide to get back with her, it won't be exclusive. I don't know how much she really wants to be in a relationship, so I'll tell her I want a few months to see if we can handle dating each other. But we can both still see other people. Would you be okay with that?"

Hermione considered, then smiled back at him. "Definitely. It seems like a good compromise."

Harry nodded and inched closer to her. She giggled and said, "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

He nodded again. Hermione reached over and turned off the light. 

It was a _perfect_ compromise.

*

Promptly at five the next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Harry had been waiting by the door, so he pulled it open. "Hi, Lavender," he greeted.

"Hi, Harry," she answered, giving him her best smile.

"Come on, let's go to my room," he said, ushering her in. Her smile broadened as they holed up in his room for the second time in two days.

Harry was still going to stick to his plan. Earlier that day, after a good night's sleep, his thoughts had become clear at last. He'd come to realize that he wasn't entirely sure about how he felt about Hermione, but he also knew he'd find out in the next few weeks, when his time was divided up with both girls. As soon as he found out what those feelings were, he'd either break up with Lavender or stop his fling with Hermione, depending. It seemed fair—as long as Lavender understood what was going on.

"Okay, Lav. I made my decision," he said straightforwardly. Why bother beating around the bush? "It wasn't an easy decision, believe me, but I want to give us another try."

Lavender squealed with delight. "I knew it! I knew it! Oh, Harry, I'm so happy! This time, it's going to—"

"On one condition," he added, cutting her off.

Lavender's smile dropped. "What's that?"

"I'll take you back if we agree that it's not going to be exclusive. We'll date each other, but we can also date other people and see how everything goes."

"Kind of like a trial period?" Lavender asked, her face impassive.

Harry nodded. "Exactly."

Lavender sat silently, clearly thinking it over. Then she said, "All right. I can handle that," she said with a small smile.

"There's something else," he went on. "I—I…" His voice trailed off. He'd had every intention in the world to tell her about Hermione, but he suddenly found he couldn't. Lavender didn't need to know _every_ detail of his life.

__

But I should say something_ about Hermione,_ he thought.

"What?" Lavender asked, sounding slightly impatient. 

"I'm going to take this seriously. There's this girl who I've been with the last few weeks, and I'm going to see her, too." _Well, that was somewhat truthful._

Lavender looked like she wanted to protest, but instead, she gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Well, that's part of the deal," she said. "Thanks for telling me."

"Let's go out to dinner on Tuesday," he suggested, wanting to mollify her.

This time her smile was sincere. "All right. Pick me up at seven?"

Harry agreed, and walked her to the front door. Lavender kissed him good-bye, but unfortunately, it was right in front of Ron and Hermione.

Harry closed the door behind Lavender and turned to his friends.

*~*

"What, you actually took her back?" Ron asked, disgusted.

"Yeah, sort of." Harry explained the deal he'd struck with Lavender. "It works out perfectly, doesn't it?"

"I guess," Ron said uncertainly. He glanced at Hermione, then back at Harry. "What about…" he gestured back and forth between Harry and Hermione.

Harry grinned. "What _about_ us? We're not going to stop anything. I'm not tied down to Lavender, remember?" He and Hermione were now smiling at each other, but Ron noted that Hermione's looked a little forced.

"I have to go now," Harry announced. He pulled on his jacket. "Oliver called a quick meeting about practices, then the whole team's going out for drinks afterwards. See you later tonight." Harry gave them a wave and left.

"So," Ron said, wasting no time in turning to Hermione. "How do you feel about this…arrangement?"

Hermione shrugged but wouldn't meet his eyes. "It's all right, I guess. I don't know. Or even care, for that matter." She finally met Ron's eyes, just for a second, before she looked away again. In that brief moment, he knew she was lying.

"I have to go study now, I've got a really important test coming up." Hermione nearly ran to her room.

Ron just shook his head. No matter what they said, Ron knew that his two best friends had fallen for each other. He'd just caught Hermione in her lie. He saw the way Harry looked at her. It was just too obvious. Even if neither wanted to admit it, Ron knew they had it bad for each other.

He also knew this new arrangement was not going to work. It was only a matter of days before the whole thing blew up in their faces.

__

And that's something I don't want to miss, Ron thought with a laugh.

~*~

Hurray for chapter six! Lol. It would've been up sooner, but…you know…it's hard to post things on the Net when the power isn't on. (Yes, my power was off! I am a part of Black-Out 2003!) Anyways, I apologize. Really, I do. I know how much you all hate Lavender. I'm sorry, but she is a big part of the story. If I haven't scared you off from reading my story, I thank you, and look for the next chapter coming soon, and if you want to, please review. Thanks!!


	7. I Can't Quit You Baby

I'm a bad girl. Really, I am. But I truly am sorry for the horrible delay in this, but I have been so busy these last few weeks, the moments I have had that were free, I slept instead because I've been tired. But alas, here's chapter seven. Thanks very, very much to the patient ones. I sincerely hope that this was worth the wait.

Another huge thank you to all who read this story, who look forward to it and enjoy reading it. It really makes me happy to know that someone cares about it, and that the effort is worth it. I wish I could name you all by name, but that would take forever and you know who you are. So thanks!!

_Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter et al, sadly. J.K. Rowling does. Also, the title is a Led Zeppelin song, which they own and I do not._

Please r,r&e. (read, review and ENJOY!!)

~*~

The days that followed were certainly interesting. Harry soon found himself worn out. His free time was divided between the two girls; he rarely had time to hang out with Ron, let alone have some quiet time to himself.

What's more, time with the girls was draining. Lavender hung herself on him constantly, acting like they were madly in love. Harry tried to keep up with this charade, but Lavender invested so much of her energy into doing so, she had enough energy for them both. 

With Hermione, it was mostly a physical thing. Ever since he started seeing Lavender again, Hermione was less into their time together. Harry decided that she was angry with him for taking Lavender back—and often thought, rightfully so—and started to pretend that nothing had changed. 

But how wrong he was.

Harry had feelings for Hermione. He just knew it. 

When had he realized this? It was on a Friday night, when he and Lavender went out for a date. They had decided to go out to their favourite restaurant, a nice, private diner not far from Lavender's flat.

"Isn't this great?" Lavender purred as they waited for their orders.

"Isn't what great?" Harry asked.

"Us! Back together."

"Oh. Right," Harry replied, not even pretending to be enthusiastic. She wouldn't even notice.

'I was so afraid that you wouldn't want me back," she admitted. "I mean, if the situation was reversed, _I wouldn't have taken_ you_ back."_

This caught Harry's attention. She wouldn't? After all she had said about how much he meant to her, that they were supposed to be together? 

_I nearly broke things off with Hermione for this? he thought angrily. He glanced up at Lavender, who was giving him her very best smile, completely unaware of what she had just done._

_What am I even doing here? he wondered. __This is such a waste of my time; I could be with Hermione right now._

"Lavender—" he started, but she cut him off.

"I'm looking forward to going to the wedding!" she exclaimed. "It'll be so much fun to see the school again, even if the ceremony's going to be on the pitch. Could you imagine wanting to get married _there? I mean, didn't they see all the great venues in Hogsmeade? I would never want to get married on a Quidditch pitch."_

"I would," Harry answered with gritted teeth. "It's only what I do for a living."

"Oh. Right," Lavender said, her face flushing slightly. "Well, they'll have a great view of the school," she said meekly.

Harry just shook his head. Yes, he liked Lavender a lot. She was a lovely person, even if she did get caught up in her own world sometimes. But was that enough? Was it enough to keep them together?

_Probably not, Harry thought grimly. __But what am I still doing with her?_

He knew he was only with her because he had said he would be. It wasn't really what he had wanted to do that evening. 

_Hermione and I were going to order in from the deli, then watch that movie on TV., then go to her room… The thought of what he was missing made Harry feel slightly depressed. _

_I just want to be with Hermione, he admitted to himself. _And only Hermione.__

"Harry? What's wrong?" Lavender asked suddenly. "You look a little pale."

"I'm actually not feeling well," Harry ad-libbed. "I think I should go home." Before she could protest, he threw some bills on the table and left.

He couldn't believe himself. All he had wanted was a little fun with Hermione—nothing serious, no strings attached. That had been the deal.  

But he had screwed up. He wasn't supposed to fall for her. He certainly hadn't meant to, but he had. 

_Now what?_

*

If Harry thought things weren't going well for him, it was nothing to how Hermione felt. Ever since that horrible Lavender had come back into their lives, her world had come crashing down. 

Lavender had nearly invaded their apartment. She came over at all hours of the day, and while she was there, she never let Harry out of her sight—or arms.

Harry was trying to make up for her nauseating behaviour, but it wasn't enough. He was with Lavender, and that was that. No matter how hard he tried, it wasn't enough to make Hermione forget that he was with another girl.

Soon Hermione found herself shutting Harry out. He just wasn't the same person to her anymore. It was just too painful to pretend otherwise.

The whole situation was killing her.

*

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked for the third time. 

"Nothing," Harry replied automatically.

It was late Friday night—or early Saturday morning, depending on how you looked at it—and the two guys were watching a _Gilligan's Island marathon. Ron had only discovered the show last week, and since then, he had been obsessed with it. _

Harry had come in halfway through the marathon, pretending to keep Ron company, but Ron knew something was bothering him.

"No, really. What's going on? You can tell me—I _am your best friend."_

Harry grumbled something, then said, "I sort of have a problem," he admitted.

Ron was all ears. "What sort of problem?"

"It's about Hermione and Lavender."

            "Okay, what about them?"

            Harry didn't answer. Instead, he sat there, opening and closing his mouth, apparently deciding what to say. Finally he said, "I don't want to be with Lavender anymore. I want to be with Hermione."

            Ron grinned. He couldn't help himself. Finally Harry had come to his senses! _And it's about time! "Well, what's the problem?" he asked. "Chuck Lavender and ask Hermione for a proper date."_

            Harry stared at him. "It's not as easy as that," he said, somewhat testily.

            "Why not?"

            "Because. It's complicated," Harry muttered. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm not supposed to have feelings for Hermione. It was just supposed to be a fling. And then there's the fact that I'm supposedly Lavender's boyfriend."

            "You never said you'd be exclusive to her," Ron pointed out sensibly. "She knows you're seeing someone else. Just tell Lavender the truth—who cares what she says?" 

            Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "But she really likes me. She _loves_ me. And Hermione doesn't."

            Ron rolled his eyes. "You don't know that."

            "Yes, I do."

            "No, you don't. Besides, even if you're so convinced that Hermione doesn't love you—" Ron looked at Harry pointedly, then continued on. "You should still chuck Lavender if you don't like her that way."

            "I never said that," Harry protested. "I just don't want to date her anymore."

            Ron laughed. "I don't see a difference."

            Harry took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put his glasses back on. "You're right. I don't even know why I've wasted so much time thinking about this. I'll call Lavender soon."

            "Good idea."

            "I'm going to head off to bed now," Harry went on, getting up. "See you in the morning."

            "Yeah, you too. And Harry?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Talk to Hermione."

*

            Harry finally stumbled out of bed around noon. As soon as his head had hit the pillow, he'd been out like a light. It had been the first time in a long time that he had gotten a good night's sleep.

            "Morning," he greeted Hermione as he entered the kitchen.

            "Afternoon," she replied pointedly. She poured herself a glass of water and sat back down at the table, where she was taking notes from a large textbook.

            "So what'd you do last night?" he asked, searching for something to eat.

            "Nothing much," she said lightly.

            "Any plans for the day?"

            "Studying."

            "That's it?"

            "_Yes,_" she snapped.

            "Okay, okay. I was just asking."

            Hermione didn't answer. 

            "Is anything wrong? Or is it just stress?"

            "Stress," she mumbled.

            Harry stopped his search for lunch and went over to her. He started to massage her shoulders. "Relax, 'Mione. You're smart. You're going to get through this."

            "It has nothing to do with being smart," she said, but already he heard the tension in her voice fade away. "It's about working hard."

            "You work too hard," he commented, rubbing on one particular knot.

            "Mmm," was her reply.  

            Harry laughed softly. "That's more like it," he said. He tried to ignore how soft her skin was beneath his fingers, or how wonderful her hair smelled. 

            "I'm going to break up with Lavender," he announced quietly.

            Hermione turned around to face him. "Why?" she asked eagerly.

            He shrugged, though he knew the answer. "It's just not working out. She's really into me, but I'm not. I kind of…"

            He stopped short. Should he say it? Was it going to be worth the risk? 

            "You kind of…" Hermione prompted.

            "I kind of…I mean, I _do…I have feelings for someone else."_

            There was a pregnant pause. "Who?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

            Harry felt himself blushing. He couldn't look at her. He had lost his nerve. "Someone," he mumbled.

            "Tell me," Hermione demanded. He started to turn away from her, but she grabbed his hand firmly. "Tell me," she repeated, her eyes fixed on his.

            "It's you."

*~*

            They froze in that position: Hermione sitting, facing Harry with his hand in hers, and Harry standing in front of her.

            "It's me?" Hermione said slowly. She just wanted to be sure.

            "It's you," he said again. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm sorry. I know we weren't supposed to—"

            "Harry, it's okay."

            "—Have feelings for each other," he went on. "But it just sort of happened."

            "Harry, it's really okay."

            "But Hermione—"

            "But nothing. It's more than okay. I have feelings for _you_. I have for a long time."

            Harry took a seat beside her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

            Hermione was mildly surprised. "Because you were with Lavender and I was with Derrick."

            "That long?"

            She nodded. "Maybe longer."

            "So…so what are we going to do about it?" he asked.

            She shrugged. "What do you think we should do?"

            He took her hand. "I think we should be together."

            Hermione grinned. "Good answer," she said. He laughed, then leaned in to kiss her. 

            It wasn't their first kiss—not at all. But this one was very different from all the other kisses they'd shared. This one really meant something. When they pulled back, they both smiled at each other. 

            "It's really over between you and Lavender?" Hermione asked.

            "It will be. I'll call her and tell her it's over, and then you and I can be together for real." 

            "It's about damn time, too," said a new voice—Ron's. They looked up to see him standing in the doorway. They hadn't heard him come in.

            "I _told you to talk to her, mate," Ron laughed._

            "Yeah, thanks a lot," Harry replied with a smile. "Really."

            "I'll leave you two alone, then," Ron said. "I'll be back around dinner time, but I know you won't miss me too much."

            Harry and Hermione laughed. This much was true. "Bye, Ron," they said together.

            "Bye, you two."

~*~

            Yes yes, it's not very exciting, but I just did not know how to end this chapter. So I'm sorry. I hope this was an ok chapter. Coming soon…chapter 8: the wedding and other things. Oh, what fun! Stay tuned.


	8. Celebration Day

Whew! It's been a long, long, long, long, long time since I've posted! For that I apoloigze—a lot—but university is keeping me extremely busy, and when I do have the spare time, I spend it sleeping or with my friends. So very sorry for the long wait, thank you for being patient (most of you, that is…)

            Thanks a bunch to my reviewers of chapter 7: ears91, Lover Of This Story, aurora, Snidget-And-Co, couch-potato01, Bachy A, Jen, Ramy, loola, clyde2, Hermione512, mjk306, TheLanguna, crazynrfan, weirder, Hawkeye10, dragonbrat, dan fan, cyberfrogX, Zaraky, bluhmer_x and Ignited Gonja Cat!! Reviews are much appreciated! Hope I didn't leave anyone out! 

            Good news: The latest I will be posting the next chapter will be Monday! Yay!!

            Disclaimers: I am not J.K. Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter. I am also not Led Zeppelin, so I don't the the song which is, in fact, the title of this chapter.

            That's it, here's the chapter, please read, enjoy and hopefully review! But mostly enjoy!

~*~

It was Friday evening, and the wedding was the next day. Ron had already left, and he and the rest of the wedding party were staying at a nice inn near the school. As a result, Harry and Hermione were left alone at the flat.

            This didn't bother them, naturally, but there was something that hung in the air between them: Lavender. Harry still hadn't broken things off with her yet. She had had to leave Hogsmeade and go to London on an emergency business trip, and she had left before Harry could get a hold of her.

            Perhaps it was just as well, because Lavender was very excited about the wedding. Ron said he suspected was because she could show off Harry—or rather, the fact that she had bagged him—to all the guests there. Hermione agreed with this theory, but it didn't bother her. After all, _she _was Harry's real girlfriend, not Lavender.

            "By the end of the weekend, we'll be official," Harry said to Hermione on Friday. They were cozied up on the couch, watching their favourite movies.

            "Official, eh?" Hermione teased. "How are we going to make it official?"

            Harry gave her a canary-eating grin. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something," he said.

            "I'm sure," she laughed. "I'll just be so glad to have her out of our lives. I mean, I know she was your girlfriend and everything, but I never liked her."

            "I'm sorry that I didn't break it off with her sooner," Harry said guiltily. "I tried, but she.."

            "I know, Harry. It's okay. Really. I can wait a few more days."

            "I can't."  He pulled her close to him and a few minutes later, the movies were left forgotten.

~*~

            Harry and Hermione both woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the door early the next morning. Harry lifted his head an inch off the pillow to look at the blurry digital clock. They didn't come into focus, but he suddenly remembered that they probably had to leave to go to the school very soon.

            "'Mione, wake up," he mumbled. "We have to leave soon."

            "Mmm, I don't want to," she replied. She snuggled in closer. "I want to stay here all day."

            "Me too. But we have to go to the wedding. Ron's counting on us, and Laven—oh, no." Harry sat up bolt right, and reached for his glasses.

            "What is it?" Hermione asked. 

            "Lavender's at the door. I can hear her knocking," Harry replied. He threw back the sheets and searched around for his boxers. He found them, pulled them on and ran for the door.

            "Harry! I've been waiting forever! What kept you?" Lavender demanded as soon as he opened it.

            "Overslept," he replied simply. It wasn't a lie, at least.

            "I can see that," she answered, pushing past him. "Hurry up, okay? We have to leave in less than an hour."

            "Right, right," Harry said, running his hands through his hair. "I'm nearly ready. I just have to shower, dress, then pack, then eat."

            Lavender grinned. "I can help you in the shower," she said, leaning in to kiss him.

            "No! I mean, uh, not now."

            "Okay. I'll pack for you, then."

            "No!" he exclaimed. He had no idea if Hermione was still in his room or not, but figured she probably was. "Uh, why don't you make something to eat? That is, if you don't mind."

            Lavender's eyes narrowed slightly. "All right," she said.

            Relief flooded through Harry as he hurried back to his room. It would be so much easier—in the long run, at least—to tell Lavender the truth right now. But he knew how upset Lavender would get, and they were running too late to have the time to deal with her.

            Hermione was in his room still, though now she was dressed. "Lavender's here?" she asked in a quiet voice.

            Harry nodded. "Yeah."

            There was a pause of uncomfortable silence as they heard Lavender crashing around the kitchen. 

            Harry inched towards the door. "I'm going to take a shower, but Lav's cooking us breakfast, so don't worry about that. I'll be quick in the shower, I promise."

            "Good, because we have to leave in half an hour."

~*~

            Harry, Hermione and Lavender arrived in Hogsmeade with less than an hour until the wedding. Harry and Hermione hurriedly checked into their hotel rooms—Harry giving Lavender the excuse that it was cheaper if a certain number of hotel rooms were booked for the wedding party, and that he wanted to help out the Weasleys as much as possible, not to mention being closer to all the action to avoid to staying at her flat—while Lavender peppered him with questions.

            "How come you got a joint room with her?" Lavender asked, as Harry dumped out his toiletries bag to find his toothbrush.

            "Because she's my best friend. It's not like we're sharing a room, Lav, there's just a door connecting us."

            Lavender didn't really seem satisfied with this answer, but let it go. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me tonight?" she asked.

            "Room's already been paid for," Harry pointed out.

            "Well, I can just stay here, then," she suggested hopefully. "It'll be like we're on vacation together somewhere."

            "Uh, yeah." Harry squirted toothpaste on the toothbrush and began brushing. He was grateful for this, because it was preventing him from saying something else. 

            Even though he loved Hermione, it was surprising how much it hurt him to do this to Lavender. He was beginning to wonder if he had the heart to break up with her under these circumstances. He knew how misleading this was.

            So that's why, right before the pair was about to leave for the school, did Harry turn to Lavender and say, sincerely, "You look beautiful."

            And it was also why he let her kiss him so fervently.

~*~

            Though it had been several years since they had all been on the Quidditch pitch, it was just as familiar as ever—with a few slight changes.

            A few yards away from where the Gryffindor team used to enter the pitch stood a luminous, beautiful, white gazebo. Facing it were two rows of several folding chairs divided by a long, white carpet.

            Each of the many seats was filled, and most of the faces were familiar. Among the crowd was Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend at Hogwarts; Oliver Wood and Alicia Spinnet, with whom Fred and Angelina (not to mention Harry and George) had played Quidditch at school with; the entire Weasley family, all of whom sported flaming red hair; Hogwarts teachers Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, and the former Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. There were also a few members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Remus Lupin, who had become like a father to Harry during his last two years of school.

            The ceremony began. Beautiful orchestra music floated around the spectators' ears, but there was no band to be seen. A young girl that was unfamiliar to Harry came down the aisle first, looking adorable in a frilly, soft pink dress. She beamed as she threw pink and white flower petals down the aisle—clearly, she did not have stage fright.

            Another child Harry didn't recognize came down the aisle next, though this time it was a boy. He hurried to the gazebo without looking around much, and had a forced smile on his lips. 

            Next came the Weasley boys. The girls they were escorting must have been part of Angelina's family, because while Harry couldn't put a name to a single one's face, they all looked very similar to Angelina. One exception was Ron—he was escorting his younger sister, Ginny.

            Fred's twin George was the last come down the aisle before the bride. On his arm was Katie Bell, Angelina's best friend and a former Gryffindor chaser.

            Suddenly Angelina appeared in a flowing, snow-white dress. She walked down the aisle gracefully, a huge smile lit on her pretty face. Her eyes were already sparkling with tears as she approached Fred at the front of the altar.

            The ceremony was simple and fairly fast. The minister—a tall, thin wizard—breezed through it fairly fast. Fred and Angelina exchanged their vows without any problems.

            "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister announced grandly.

            Applause echoed the large pitch as Fred and Angelina shared their first kiss as a married couple. 

            Harry was grinning as Fred and Angelina walked down the aisle together, both of them laughing. They were so happy, so easily in love, and it looked so easy for them. It made Harry thankful that he had Hermione, and that what was to come wouldn't be as hard as he thought after all. 

~*~

Aw, isn't that nice? Fred and Angelina got married! Hooray! But don't worry, the next chapter will be much more interesting (can you say _drama?)_ and it will be up very very soon and I mean it this time! (Like next week) Hope you all enjoyed it, hope it was worth the wait (probably wasn't, but have no fear, something good will happen soon!), and pretty please review!! Much love to all. 


	9. Here's to the Night

Yes! I did it! For once, I actually kept my promise to post soon! Hahaha! Interestingly enough, this chapter turned out to be, like, three times longer than I originally planned. It was going to be a mini-chapter—a page, at best. But when I started writing, the story just spilled out and I am left with four pages of a story instead of one. 

An unrelated note: I don't understand two things: why my chapters are out of order (the first two. For the record, "At the Flat" is the first chapter and "Unhappy Together" is the second.) The second thing I don't get is the format of the previous chapter—what happened to it? It's all supposed to be single spaced, but it didn't turn out that way.

Ok, moving on: thanks for the reviews, everyone!! I'm glad there are a few people who haven't given up on me or this story._ Merci beaucoup _to the following: Melissa37, weirder, Hermione 512, Ramy, ears91, The Laguna, KelseyJ, Bachy A and Nadia, who reviewed chapter eight. I love reading your reviews, they are really, really appreciated! So thanks!

Good flash of (hopefully) good news: I'm writing yet another story of this one! Haha! It's getting planned and everything, I feel that it's going to be much better than this and "All I Need Is You." So look for that coming soon.

Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I do; however, this is not the case. HP belongs to J.K. Rowling. And I don't own the song "Here's to the Night," which is the title of this chapter, because it is an Eve 6 song, not mine. (Great song, I strongly recommend it!!)

Enough blabbering! Here's the story! Please read, hopefully review, but mostly, enjoy!

~*~

            Several hours later, the reception was in full swing. The Weasleys and Johnstons had booked the biggest hall they could at the inn, and it was packed.

            Dinner had been served, and the toasts had been given long ago. Now, everybody was focused on celebrating.

            The only person who wasn't having fun was Hermione. She hung back from the crowd as she watched Lavender monopolize Harry. They had been all over each other ever since the music had started, and it was making Hermione miserable to watch.

            _Just go over there, he's _your _boyfriend. He wants to be with _you, _not her,_ she reasoned with herself. But something was stopping her, and she couldn't put her finger on it. 

            She turned, on the verge of tears, wanting to slip out quietly. But before she could take two steps, someone jumped in front of you.

            "Ron!" she exclaimed. She hadn't had the chance to speak to him since the wedding was over. He and the rest of his family had been busy.

            "Where are you going? The party's this way," he said, pointing to the scene going on behind her. 

            "Oh, well, I just going to get some fresh air," she said.

            Ron raised his eyebrows. "Nice try, Hermione. But I'm not buying it." He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her on the dance floor.

            "Ron. Ron, I don't…._ Ron!_" she shouted, trying to get his attention. He ignored her.

            "I'm not in the mood to dance right now," she said, practically shouting in his ear. He simply shrugged, grinned, and made sure she couldn't escape.

            Hermione sighed. Sometimes, there was just no stopping Ron. She gave up and danced with him, glancing around the room.

            There was Fred and Angelina, who had alternated between mingling with the crowd and dancing exclusively with each other. Hermione spotted George and Katie dancing together, Mrs. Weasley with Lupin and Professor McGonagall with Mr. Weasley.

            "Ron, look!" Hermione said, pointing at the last pair. 

            Ron laughed. "That's dad for you," he said, shaking his head. 

            "Have you talked to Professor McGonagall today?" Hermione asked. She hadn't yet, but she was hoping to have the opportunity. Professor McGonagall had been her favourite teacher at Hogwarts.

            "Yeah, at the receiving line. She just asked how I was, what I was doing. I talked to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick, too."

            "Oh."

            They continued to dance. Ron was a good partner, but Hermione was too distracted by Harry and Lavender to really appreciate him.

            Lavender had not taken her hands off Harry since they had arrived at the ceremony. She really wanted to whole world to know that they were together, and Harry was letting her. Right in front of Hermione!

            At that moment, Harry and Lavender switched positions, and Harry was now facing Hermione. Their gaze met halfway across the room, and held. He smiled at her in acknowledgement, but made no move to come towards her. She turned away from him.

            "He really loves you, you know," Ron said suddenly.

            "Hmm?"

            "Harry. He loves you."

            "I know," she said. _But it just doesn't feel like it at the moment._

~*~

"Lav, I really need to take a break, okay?" Harry asked a while later. 

            "So soon?" Lavender replied.

            "Yeah. I'm going to get a drink, I'll see you in a bit." 

            "I'll be here!" Lavender told him, before turning to dance with Angelina's cousin, who had had his eye on her.

            Harry waved good-bye, then set off to find Hermione. She had looked so upset whenever he looked over, and he had a good idea of what was bothering her. 

            He made his way carefully to the refreshment table, where he would get Hermione her favourite drink, in hopes that she wouldn't be too mad with him with the night's events.

            Just as he approached the table, someone called out his name from behind. 

"Harry." 

The voice was familiar to Harry, even though he hadn't heard it in a few years. It was soft and gentle, yet still audible above the crowd. 

            Slowly Harry turned around. "Professor Dumbledore!" he exclaimed.

            Dumbledore looked the same as the last time Harry had seen him, though slightly older. His beard and hair were still long, still silver, and there was still that twinkle in his eyes that Harry had seen on many occasions. 

            "It's wonderful to see you again, Harry," Dumbledore said.

            "You, too, Professor."

            Dumbledore raised a hand. "Please, Harry. As I am no longer the Headmaster, and you are no longer a student, there is no need to call me 'Professor' anymore. You may address me by my first name."

"Okay, A-Albus," Harry got out. It sounded too weird, even to his own ears. 

"I hope you are well?"

"I'm very well, sir." "Sir" sounded much better than "Albus".

Dumbledore smiled, obviously understanding Harry's choice of words. "Mr. Weasley told me that he, you and Miss Granger share a flat not too far from here."

            "Er, yes. That's right." Harry wanted to ask Dumbledore a question, but he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say.

            "Tell me," Dumbledore said, the spark in his eye flashing a little more than usual. "Are you keeping yourself out of trouble, now that you are out of school?"

            Harry had to laugh at that. He had caused a lot of trouble during his time at Hogwarts, though most of it was unintentional, and Dumbledore had almost always gotten him out of it. "Yes, sir, I'm keeping out of trouble. Most of the time," he added for good measure.

            Dumbledore smiled. "It was wonderful talking to you again, Harry. I do hope you'll come visit me sometime, now that I am in retirement."

            "Definitely," Harry promised eagerly. They shook hands, and with a strange feeling, he watched Dumbledore wander off into the crowd.

            Harry got drinks for himself and Hermione, and scanned the room for a sign of her. Finally he saw her, sitting by herself at a table at the edge of the room. Harry made his way to her as quickly as possible without spilling the drinks.

            "Here. I thought you might want this," he greeted, placing the glad down in front of her. He sat down, sipping his own drink.

            "That's the most you've said to me all night," she said tartly.

            "I know, Hermione. But Lavender—"

            "I don't want to hear this, Harry," she cut him off. "You keep promising me you'll break things off with her, but you never do. And it looks as though you don't want to anymore."

            Harry felt as though she had slapped him. How could she say that? She _knew _he was going to break up with Lavender the very next day. She even gave him her blessing to do wait until after the wedding! "You know I'm going to do it," he managed to say. "Tomorrow morning, first thing."

            Hermione checked her watch. "And is that tomorrow as in later on in the day, or tomorrow as in the day after today? It's past midnight."

            "As in later on in the day. _Today_." Leave it to her to be so technical about this.

            Hermione looked skeptical. "I don't know if I can believe you, but okay. If you say so." Her tone implied just the very opposite.

            A rush of anger ran through Harry's body, but he kept it to himself. If he blew up at her, it would only make matters worse.

            "I know you're mad at me," he began carefully, "I can understand why, and I'm sorry that I haven't been spending time with you tonight. But you have to trust me that it'll happen soon. Okay?"

            "Okay," Hermione agreed reluctantly.

            Harry flashed her his famous smile, taking her hand under the table. She was fighting back a smile of her own, and he knew that he had been forgiven. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he knew what would happen if he did. "Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be together for real."

            Hermione was smiling now. "Yeah, I know. Finally."

            "Finally," Harry echoed, his focus turning to her lips. They looked so soft, so full, so inviting…

            "Hey," he began slowly. "Here's an idea." He paused and looked over at the dance floor. Lavender was too busy with Angelina's cousin to be paying attention to anyone else. "Why don't we sneak out of here?"

            "Where do you want to go?" 

            "Your room." 

            Hermione looked back at the dance floor too. After a few moments of watching Lavender, she turned back to Harry. "All right. Let's go."

~*~

It was much easier than expected the sneak away unnoticed. No one had even looked up when they opened the door. They weren't going to be missed at all.

            Holding hands the whole way, Harry and Hermione went upstairs to their rooms. They went into Harry's room first, where he grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses that he had bought earlier. 

            They entered Hermione's room through the connecting doors. Here, they would be alone, and no one—namely Lavender—would find them.  

            "Just us," Harry said, opening the champagne bottle. He poured two glasses carefully, then handed one to Hermione. They sat down next to each other on the bed. "Here's to us," he said, raising his glass.

            "And here's to the night," Hermione added softly, clinking her glass against his.   

            "Hermione, I love you," Harry said quietly. 

            He hadn't expected to say this, but he didn't regret his words. Judging by the look on her face, Hermione wasn't expecting it either, but also like Harry, she didn't resent him having said that.

            "I love you," she whispered. 

            Harry kissed her. And she kissed him back. Without really thinking of it, they put their glasses down onto the bedside table.

            It was unlike anything else: Harry was in love, she loved him back, they were together, and they were _happy. _For once, Harry was happy without effort. Simple as that.

~*~

Lavender searched the hall high and low, but there was absolutely no sign of Harry anywhere. Or Hermione, for that matter.

            As hard as she tried not to, she put two and two together. _What if they're together somewhere?_ she wondered nervously. A mixture of anger and worry flooded her mind. She didn't like the thought of that—not at all.

            Lavender grabbed her purse off the table and made her way to Harry's room. At first she hoped that maybe he decided to go to bed, but would he really go with telling her?

            "Harry?" she called out as she knocked lightly on the door. "Harry?" 

            After a minute it was pretty clear that no one was about to answer the door. Even so, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was going on behind her back.

 She fished around her purse until she found it: the extra copy of Harry's room key that she had taken when he wasn't looking.

            She unlocked the door and pushed it open silently. "Harry?" she whispered into the darkness. 

            No one else was in there. 

            Feeling slightly relieved, Lavender was about to turn and leave, but something caught her attention. 

The adjoining door to Hermione's door was wide open, coming from Harry's side, and at first Lavender had thought that Hermione's was shut. But now she realized that there was a slight sliver of a dull light. Clearly, the door to Hermione's room was open—and someone was in there.

Curiosity got the better of Lavender. She crept up to investigate who was in the room. 

There were two people in the room, Lavender noticed. It was hard to tell who it was, though, since the only source of light was the lamp on the bedside table—and Lavender didn't have the greatest view to begin with. 

She assumed it was Hermione—it was her room, after all—but Lavender couldn't quite make out who the other person was. And it was killing her.

Just as she was dying to know who the other person was, he spoke. The words were muffled, but the voice—it was a voice Lavender recognized all too well.

Fuming, Lavender pushed open the door to Hermione's room. Harry and Hermione were kissing on Hermione's bed, Harry on top of her, shirtless.

"What's going on in here?" Lavender demanded.

~*~

Haha, a cliffie! I just love them, they are a lot of fun. You know what else was fun? Writing this chapter. It came very easily to me, that's probably why I've posted when I said I would. 

So that's the chapter!! The next one will be coming soonly (like my word??), but probably not until after this week. Still, I hope you continue to read the story, and I really hope you enjoy it. And if it's not too much trouble, it would be cool if you could review it. It would be much appreciated, really. Thanks!! 


	10. Low

Hi! Remember me? If you don't, it's because it's been a long time. And for that, I apologize hugely. Truly, I'm sorry for not being able to update. But ahh, university is very time-consuming. In the course of a few days, I had three exams and two papers to write, followed by another exam. So, my free time is very limited. I'm sorry!! 

To the following people: weirder, Dietpepsigurl, ears91, Ramy, Brian's Sarah, The Laguna, Weasley1200, Zaraky, Rebecca Franco, Hermione512, Bachy A, couch-potato01, Ignited Gonja Cat, Harry's Sex Goddess, aprilcotton, myman-harry526, fartearter, clyde2, JuLzYAnGeL, h/hr lover, babygirl4U and Andra…my reviewers. Thank you so much for reading my story! It really makes me happy to know that this story is well-received, and if you can believe it, you motivate me to actually keep writing this story. For some reason, I'm not as into this story as I was the last one, but when I get such wonderful reviews, I give writing _Fall Into Me _another chance. So, thank you very much! I'm sorry for the huge wait.

Now, I'd like to point out, I realize this chapter is short and therefore probably dissatisfying, since the wait was so long. However, it's pretty important to the story, although that'll be more apparent once the story is done. 

Two bits of good news before I get on with it: One, I have free time now! Hahah! Celebration time! That means that I can finish this story much more easily and quickly! Two, I'm very excited about the story to follow this one. I've been planning it for a while, and soon I'll get around to writing it—which means posting it. It will be much better than my other two fics, I think so at least.

_Disclaimer: The usual…I'm not J.K. Rowling, I don't own Harry Potter…etc…Title is from the Kelly Clarkson song Low._

Enjoy!!!!

~*~

Lavender stood in front of Harry and Hermione, a mixture of shock and fury on her face. "What's going on?" she demanded again, with even more anger in her voice this time.

Harry was speechless. How had Lavender gotten into the room? And why was she there—had she seen them leave together? Was she suspicious?

"Somebody tell me now," she said loudly. It was clear she wanted an explanation.

"Lavender…" was all Harry could come up with. He glanced at Hermione, who looked as helpless as he felt. 

After a few moments of silence, Lavender made a noise of disgust, spun on her heel, and started to leave. With another look at Hermione, Harry jumped off the bed and ran after her.

"Lavender! Lav, wait up!" he called out. She was hurrying down the hall, trying to be sure he couldn't catch up to her. "Lavender!"

She stopped abruptly and turned around to look at him. Her eyes were streaming tears and she wore a look of hurt that he had never seen her wear before.

"How could you?" she asked. "What were you thinking?"

Harry felt defensive. He and Lavender were not exclusive; he had even told her that he was seeing another girl. "I'm allowed to, you know," he shot back. "We talked about this, remember? I'm allowed to see other people. You are too."

Lavender looked confused. "But you never told me you were seeing someone. You said you wanted to, but you never told me that you were still seeing _her._"

"I didn't think it was any of your business."

"How is it _not_ my business? We're dating!" she pointed out.

"Not exclusively."

"You could've told me! You never mentioned that you and her…you should've let me know what was going on."

For the first time since being barged in on, Harry felt guilty about his actions. "Look, Lav, you're right. I should've told you. Hermione and I have been together this whole time, and we love each other."

Lavender's eyes searched his for one moment; the next, she slapped him as hard as she could. Harry staggered backwards in shock, raising his hand to where she had hit him.

"What you did was low, Harry," she said. "You were with another girl without telling me. You led me on, making me believe that you cared about me. Well, it worked, because I'm in love with you." 

She turned and ran away, leaving him alone in the hallway. He wouldn't have been able to stop her if he wanted to, he was in too much shock to say or do anything.

After a minute or two of stunned silence, Harry came back to his senses. His girlfriend was in her room, waiting for him. He had to get back to her.

He found his way back to the room, where Hermione was sitting on the bed, drinking out of one of the champagne glasses.

"How'd it go?" she asked, handing him the other. 

He took it and sat down on the edge of the bed, still in a bit of a daze. "Not well," he said simply. He took a swig of the champagne, but he barely tasted it. His guilt was doing a number on his stomach. "She said that I led her on because I didn't tell her about us, and that she's in love with me."

"I almost feel sorry for her."

"I feel really bad about it," he admitted, setting the glass down on the nightstand. "I didn't mean to lead her on, it just sort of happened. And now she's really upset."

"Well, she deserves it," Hermione said. "Just think of all she's put you through, Harry, and not only recently. Ever since you two got together way back at Hogwarts, she's been messing with your head. Just forget about her."

"It's not that easy, Hermione. She was my first…everything. My first girlfriend, my first love…you don't just forget that."

"But it's _over. _You can move on from her. You already have moved on from her," she corrected herself. "Remember?"

Hermione inched closer to him and rubbed his bare shoulders. Then she kissed his neck, trailing up to his face. Just as she was about to kiss his lips, he jerked back. He turned his face away from hers, his thoughts consumed by Lavender. He couldn't do this.

"Harry?"

He couldn't answer her, nor could he even look at her. 

"Harry? What's the matter?"

Finally he turned to her, but for some reason, all he could think of was Lavender. He reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "What happens now?" he asked. 

~*~

The reception finally came to an end. Everyone said good-night to each other and headed off to bed, but Ron wasn't ready to go to bed. Instead, he went to the bar in the hotel, planning on buying a butterbeer.

The bar was almost completely empty. Only a few people were still drinking. The room was quiet; no one was talking. Only a few candles that hadn't burned out yet and the bar lights that glowed dimly were providing light.

"A butterbeer, please," Ron said to the bar tender. He sat on the closest stool, waiting for his drink. A pretty girl sat a few seats down, sniffing occasionally and drinking out of a large margarita glass. 

It took him a few glances at the girl to realize that it was Lavender at the bar. 

"Lav?"

She looked up at him, her eyes red from crying so much. "Hi, Ron," she said, her voice unsteady.

"What's the matter?" he asked, surprised at how concerned he was.

Lavender took in a shaking breath. "I caught Harry and Hermione snogging on the bed in her room. His shirt was off. I don't like to think of what else would've been off if I hadn't walked in at that moment," she admitted, wiping her eyes.

The bar tender slammed the butterbeer in front of Ron and hurried away. Ron turned to his drink, thankful for the interruption. He didn't really know what to say to Lavender.

"And then I found out," Lavender continued, "that he and Hermione have been together all this time, and that they're in love." She choked back a sob. "Harry said he didn't do anything wrong, since he and I weren't together 'exclusively.'"

"Well, you weren't," Ron said frankly.

Lavender shot him a nasty look. "I know that. But he could've told me! He shouldn't have led me on like that."

"I guess that's true," Ron admitted. "But he didn't mean to. He tried to break things off with you, but the timing wasn't right."

Lavender nodded, looking down at the floor. Ron felt very sorry for her, even though he didn't much like her. Still, he couldn't fight to urge to console her.

"Look, Lav," he began, moving down the bar and sitting down beside her. "What Harry did to you was pretty bad, but he didn't mean to, honestly. I know that he cares for you a lot, even though he's not in love with you anymore."

"But I'm in love with him!" she wailed. She flung her arms around Ron and sobbed into his shoulder. "I just love him so much. And I thought he loved me!"

He gave her an awkward pat on the back. "It's okay, Lav," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "It'll be okay." 

As time passed, it felt less awkward. He wrapped his arms around her in a proper hug, where they stayed like that for a long time.

~*~

Ta-da! Chapter ten! Short, I know, but don't fret. The next one is coming soon—really—and the final chapter will soon follow that. Then it's on to my new story. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Hopefully you enjoyed it and hopefully you will review…(hint hint…hahaha). Also, **Happy Holidays!** Lots of love, me. 


	11. I'm Glad

Hello all! I have returned. Finally. I've decided that I will not make promises anymore, because I'm no good at keeping them. "Soon." Yeah, hahaha. I honestly did not mean to post this so late (and did not mean to not write for so long). Slowly but surely, this story is ending. Next chapter will be the last, I know that for a fact. And I'm writing my new story, _Home, _already. (If I say so myself, it's going to be great! I'm very excited for it, it's going to be stronger than my other stories. It's a Harry Potter story, but that's all I'm saying! It'll be up during the summer—and that is one promise I can guarantee I will be keeping!) 

Thank you guys **so much **for sticking with me and the story. It means so much more to me than I can say—honestly. A big thank you and a whole lotta love to the following wonderful reviewers: weirder, ears91, Hermione512, rokjai, huggablemix, asylumsnicker9450, rowan j. weasley, Ramy, myman-harry526, couch-potato01, Ignited Gonja Cat, Smore, Redstar, sugah baby, Jen, gigi and babygirl4U. Thanks everyone!!!

So…sorry for the major delay, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please please please r&r, it would be muchly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, either Harry Potter-wise (J.K. Rowling does) or the song I'm Glad (Jennifer Lopez does.)

Enjoy!! 

Six Months Later

A lot of time had passed since the trio attended the wedding. Harry and Hermione finally had what they wanted: an open, mature relationship. This time around, there were no secrets, no feelings of guilt, no sneaking around behind someone's back. All was out in the open, and it felt great.

One night, Harry and Hermione were cuddled up on the couch, watching nothing in particular on the television. They were snuggled under a white Egyptian cotton blanket, listening to the sound of the rain on the windows and occasionally sipping from the steaming mugs of tea on the table in front of them.

"This is perfect," Hermione said with a happy sigh.

"Yeah, perfectly nauseating," Ron quipped, coming into the living room. "Do you two have to be so lovey-dovey _all_ the time?"

"Yes," replied Hermione with a giggle. "Always."

"Oh," Ron groaned. "Please stop. It's making my stomach turn."

Harry laughed. "Sorry, mate."

"Not as sorry as I am," Ron mumbled. He left the living room and went to the front hall closet. 

"Where're you off to?" Hermione called out.

"Somewhere where I don't have to witness _that_," Ron replied, coming back into the living room with his coat on. 

"Are you meeting up with anyone?" Harry wanted to know.

Ron's eyes widened for a split second, then went back to normal. "Uh, no. Not really. I'm sure I'll run into someone…but…no one in particular, no," he said quickly. He spun on his heels and walked as fast as he could to the door without actually running. "I'll be back sometime!" he shouted before slamming the door shut behind him.

"That was weird," Hermione commented, taking a sip of her tea. 

"He's such a bad liar," Harry said. "I wonder who he's meeting, and why it'd be such a big secret."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think it's such a big deal. He's always like this when he first starts seeing a girl. Remember the way he acted when he first started dating Daisy?"

"This is true," Harry had to admit. "He does act strangely when it comes to girlfriends."

"He'll tell us when he's ready," Hermione said.

"Yeah."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while afterwards. They'd say the odd thing here and there, but it was mainly a quiet afternoon. Harry ran his fingers through her silky hair, contemplating their relationship.

Ever since they'd been together openly, they spent pretty much all of their free time together. The only time they slept in separate beds was when Harry was away for a match—but this hardly happened, because even when he was at an away game, he'd apparate home to sleep with Hermione.

His fame from Quidditch had brought a mini celebrity status to Hermione. They'd been out to a few events as a couple, and when the papers found out that he was dating someone, they practically had a field day. Everyone now knew Hermione as Harry Potter's girlfriend.

But this didn't bother them. They had been through so much together, ever since they were only eleven years old. They were strong. They were happy.

"I'm glad things ended up like this," Harry said. 

Hermione smiled. "Me too."

*~*

Ron stepped into the entranceway of the pub and closed his umbrella. It was pouring out, and he was grateful for the umbrella—even if it hadn't kept him that dry.

He scanned the pub. _Where is she?_ _Am I that late? _he wondered, glancing at his watch.

"Ron! Ron, over here!" she called out. Ron turned and saw her sitting at a table in the far corner.

He went over to her. "Sorry I'm late," he said, sitting across from her. "Have you been waiting long?"

She shook her head. "No, just a few minutes. I ordered us some chips, though."

Ron grinned. "You know me so well," he said with a laugh. He leaned across the table to kiss her, but she drew back.

"Have you told them about me yet?" she asked, point-blank.

Ron felt his ears turn pink. "Er, no. Not yet."

"Ronald…"

"But I will! Soon. Tomorrow. Tonight," he corrected himself, off her look. 

She gave him her perfect smile. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the loo." Ron shook his head as he watched her leave.

_What'll Harry and Hermione say when I tell them I'm with Lavender?_ he wondered. It was their responses that had kept him from telling them. Ron knew they wouldn't accept this piece of information easily.

Harry and Lavender hadn't ended on the best of terms. In fact, they hadn't spoken since that night at the hotel. Every time someone brought up that night, or Lavender herself, Harry's face would turn a little grey, and he wouldn't say anything until the subject was changed. 

Hermione wasn't much better off. At any mention of Lavender, Hermione tutted everyone's ears off. Ron could easily recall the time Harry's teammate brought up Harry and Lavender as a couple, right in front of Hermione—and it wasn't pretty.

In short, he knew it wouldn't go over well. They'd pretend to be happy for him, but it would most likely bring up some unresolved tension between the two. Ron did not want to be the person responsible for that.

Lavender took her seat as the waitress brought them a large plate of chips and took their drink orders. 

"How should we do it?" Lavender asked, spearing a chip onto her fork.

"Do what?"

"Tell Harry and Hermione about us. I was thinking we could all go out to dinner together and tell them then."

Ron grimaced as he imaged that scenario. "Er, I don't think that's such a good idea, Lav. Maybe I should just tell them on my own."

Lavender gave him her best pout. "But I want to do it together."

"I know, but I just don't think it's a good idea."

Lavender gave an exaggerated sigh. "Alright," she said. "If you think it's best."

"I do."

"Maybe you're right," she admitted. "I don't know if I'm ready to see them together."

_No one is,_ Ron thought darkly, picturing the two annoyingly cute lovebirds on the couch. But that thought was wiped clear of his mind as a new idea hit him. "Are you over Harry yet?" he asked.

Lavender nodded and shrugged at the same time. "It's hard to picture him with another girl," she admitted. "He was my first love. But I'm glad we're together," she said, taking his hands.

"I hate admitting this, but so am I," he said with a grin. He thought back to the beginning of their relationship…

When Lavender finally let go of Ron that night, he walked her back to her flat. She was still a mess, but she wasn't crying anymore.

They stood in her doorway, unsure of what to say to each other.

"Thanks, Ron," she finally said softly. "Thank you."

He shrugged. "It was nothing," he said. He felt slightly guilty for knowing about Harry and Hermione and not telling Lavender, but then again, he had never really liked her.

"Well, it meant something to me. I'm sorry I ruined your night."

"Don't worry about it."

Lavender smiled weakly. "This is good-night, I guess," she said.

"I guess so."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good-night, Ron."

"Good-night, Lav." He turned and started to head back to the hotel, but suddenly stopped himself. He turned around again and called out to her, "If you ever want to talk, just call me."

That unexpected comment in itself had been pretty weird, but what was even weirder was that she actually took him up on his offer.

About a week later, the phone rang. Ron was the only one home at the time, so he answered it. "Hello?"

All he could hear was an odd, hysterical squeaking noise. "Hello?" he said again, terribly confused.

"R-R-Ron?"

"Yes?"

"It's me. Lavender."

"Oh! Lavender, hi. What's the matter?"

The squeaking noise continued for a few moments, and it dawned on Ron that she was sobbing into the telephone. 

"I found one of Harry's shirts under my bed," she finally got out. It was one of his favourites, and he left it here. I don't know what to do!"

"You could bring it back," Ron suggested.

"I can't do that!" she wailed. "I don't want to see him." There was a brief pause, then she blurted out, "I love him so much!"

Ron was at a loss. He wasn't very good at dealing with this type of thing. "I guess _I_ could come pick it up," he said at last.

"Could you? That would be perfect!"

Ron sighed. "If you say so. I'll be there as soon as I can."

He and Lavender spent the rest of the day together, and planned on going to a movie—just as friends, of course—the next day.

They grew closer. They became friends. Ron began to understand why Harry had dated her for so long: she was sweet, caring, funny, beautiful. Yes, she was a bit of a drama queen. She was a bit of a princess. But not only did Ron find that it didn't bother him, he realized he found it…endearing. 

They finally got together three months after that night at the hotel, and had been together in secret ever since. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ron had never been happier.

*~*

Harry and Hermione sat outside on the terrace later that night. It had stopped raining a while ago, and the clouds were clearing up to reveal the stars. The air was damp and a bit chilly, but they were still wrapped up in their blanket.

"We've been together for almost a year now," Harry pointed out.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" she asked with a reminiscing smile.

"We've had quite a year."

"We have," she agreed. "But it's been great."

The moment was perfect, it was exactly what Harry had been waiting for. When he had made up his mind to do this a few weeks ago, he waited patiently—albeit nervously—for the right moment, and here it was.

They'd been best friends since they were eleven and had been through everything together. She was always there for him. She was one person that, he knew, would never leave him. She loved him.

And he loved her, simple as that.

Now was the time.

"Hermione, will you marry me?" 

~*~

Haha, I enjoy being evil. Cliffhanger! Duh duh duh. I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter, it's gonna be lots of fun, so it should be up soon (but I don't make promises anymore, remember?) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will endure the wait for the next and final chapter (however long the wait may be). Please review! Thanks a bunch!


	12. Absolutely Perfect

Well, here it is. The very last chapter of _Fall Into Me._ It feels weird, not thinking about this story anymore. I've been planning it and writing it for a long, long time now—and now it's over. 

Of course, it should've been done ages ago, but I had no clue how time consuming university is. For that, I apologize. I know the waits have been a bit too long, but I am doing the best I can. 

What else can I say? It's been great, writing this story. Lots of fun, lots of frustration and writer's block, but I think it ended up all right. I hope you think so too!

            So I'd like to take this time to thank my reviewers of chapter 11: weirder, Ramy, blinktravisroks, Rebecca, layneybug, Jen, couch-potato01, rowan j. weasley, babygirl4U, Bachy A and lizzie14. I'm terribly sorry if I've forgotten anyone. 

            A huge, massive thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed this story. You're all incredible, and I'm so glad you like this story. I really can't describe how much that means to me—so thank you.

            Now for some shameful plugging! I stayed up late last night, planning in great detail my next story, _Home_. I'm so excited!! I hope you all read it. I'll be posting the intro in a few days, but the story won't begin for a while—after exams. Luckily, after school's done, _Home_ will be posted pretty quickly, since I won't be so busy. So please please please check that out.

Legal stuff:_ Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related, but J.K. Rowling does (I am not her). I don't own the song Absolutely Perfect, Ryan Malcolm does._

Please read and review and enjoy! Thanks a million! 

            A few moments of silence passed. Hermione desperately tried to read Harry's eyes, but it was too dark out.

            "What?" she blurted out. She couldn't believe her ears! Had her boyfriend really just proposed to her?

            "Will you marry me?" Harry repeated the question, but his voice was a little unsteady. Hermione knew she should give an answer, but she was still blown away. A minute ago they were talking about being together for almost a year—where did this come from?

            "Harry," she began to say. _We're too young. We don't know what we want yet. We have our whole lives to be together, we don't need to rush into anything right now. _Then she stopped herself.

            While her mind was telling her no—they were just too young—something else was telling her to reconsider. So they were young—so what? They loved each other, they were together and they were happy. Why no? Why not yes?

            "Oh, Harry," she said, her eyes filling with tears of happiness. "Of course I will. Yes, yes I will!" 

            Harry looked ready to pass out with relief. Obviously, it had taken a lot out of him while she debated with herself. 

            He reached into his pocket and pulled out the most beautiful ring Hermione had ever seen: white gold, princess cut—perfect! He slipped it onto her left ring finger and smiled.

            "I love you."

            "I love you too," she replied, choking on her words slightly. 

            He embraced her gently but intimately. Hermione's head was still reeling. She was engaged! To Harry, nonetheless. Her best friend and soul mate.

            She suddenly felt light headed. She couldn't believe it—after years of pain, sorrow and heartache, she and Harry had finally come to this moment.

            And it was absolutely perfect.

            "Ronald Weasley, you are a chicken!" Lavender exclaimed.

            "I know, I know," he admitted, flashing her his most charming smile. He knew it would soften her up.

            It did. She returned the smile involuntarily. "I hate it when you do that," she said, trying to cover up her smile with a pout. 

            "I'll keep doing it, then," Ron said, giving her a small kiss.

            "You're still a chicken."

            "I never said I wasn't. But it's your fault, you know."

            "Oh? And why would this be?"

            "Because I was _going_ to go home and tell Harry and Hermione about us, but you just couldn't sleep by yourself last night, could you?"

            Lavender couldn't help but giggle. "No, I really couldn't. But it's not like you objected to it," she pointed out.

            "Nope." He kissed her again.

            "Get out!" she said, pushing him towards the door. "Go! And don't come back until you've told them!" 

            "Yes, m'am!" Ron saluted. Lavender shut the door in his face, but he could hear her laughing from behind the closed door. With a grin, Ron apparated to the hall of his flat.

            He unlocked the door and went in, wondering if he should just tell Harry and Hermione straight up. It would be a lot easier than beating around the bush, and it would explain his overnight absence.

            "Hey guys, I'm home!" he shouted.

            "In the kitchen!" Harry shouted back.

            _Just tell them. They'll be happy for you. Tell them straight up._ "Hey, guys, I have something to—" he began, coming into the kitchen.

            He was greeted by Harry and Hermione, both wearing ridiculously happy grins on their faces. "What's going on?" he asked, temporarily distracted.

            Harry and Hermione exchanged even wider smiles—if that was possible—then looked back at Ron.

            "A funny thing happened last night…" Harry began.

            "We got engaged!" Hermione shouted out joyously. She extended her left hand, waving a diamond ring in Ron's face.

            "What?" he exclaimed. He grabbed Hermione's hand to get a better look at the ring. "Whoa! Is that a big enough diamond for you, Hermione?"

            "I know!" Hermione exclaimed giddily. "Isn't it fantastic?"

            "Fantastic," Ron repeated. "Congratulations, you guys!" He gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and a hug. When he got to Harry, they shook hands—then Ron pulled Harry in for a quick hug.

            "Still best friends?" Harry asked.

            "Yeah, that'll never change," Ron said. He smiled at the two; their joy was contagious. "So, when's the big day?"

            "Oh, we haven't thought that far ahead," Hermione said. "But we were thinking of maybe a winter wedding. That's quite different, I expect."

            "I had another thought," Harry said. "Maybe in September, because that's when we first met."

            "Oh, Harry," Hermione said with a slight tremble in her voice. "That's so romantic!"

            Ron rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should get married on the Hogwarts Express," he suggested, trying to keep his tone serious. "After all, _that's_ where you first met."

            Harry met Ron's eyes, and there was a slight twinkle in them. "You know, that sounds like a great idea, Ron." He turned to Hermione. "Can't you just picture it? We could have the ceremony on the last cart, since we always sat there. And I'm sure that witch with the trolley could provide the catering."

            "And there's plenty of seating, you wouldn't have to worry about that!" Ron put in. 

            Hermione opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. Obviously, she was at a loss for words. 

            The guys couldn't handle it anymore. They both broke up laughing. "We're just kidding, Hermione!" Harry said. 

            Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God! I mean, married on the Hogwarts Express…" her voiced faded out, and a thoughtful look came across her face. "Actually, now that you mention it, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

            Ron and Harry looked at each other, turned to Hermione and said in unison, "You're joking, right?"

            A few nights later, the trio's flat was cleaner than it ever had been. Everything was decorated nicely for Harry and Hermione's engagement party, which was to be held that night. They had invited a large variety of people: Harry's teammates and Hermione's classmates; Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Parvati and Padma Patil and Luna Lovegood, all of whom were friends from Hogwarts; Remus Lupin, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick; the wizard family who lived a few flats down the hall, the Grangers and all of the Weasleys—including Fred and Angelina. Hagrid hadn't been able to attend, but he had sent his best wishes to the happy couple.

            Harry was glad to see everyone. Everyone was excited for the couple, and everyone asked about when and where the wedding would be held. Harry told them that while they had joked about getting married on the Hogwarts Express, they were seriously hoping to wed in the Great Hall. (Not in the library, as Ron had suggested. After all, Ron pointed out, it _was _where Hermione had spent most of her time in while they were at Hogwarts.) As Harry went around talking to his guests, he knew he had never felt happier.

            "Congratulations, Harry!" Angelina exclaimed, giving Harry a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys."

Thanks, Angelina."

            "Good on you, mate," Fred said, giving Harry a friendly slap on the back. "Have you seen my little brother lately, by any chance?"

            Harry glanced around the flat. "Nope. Ron's not back yet."

            "Where'd he go?"

            "He's brining his new girlfriend. Hermione and I haven't met her yet."

            "Very mysterious," Fred commented. "Well, let me know when he gets back."

            "Will do!" Harry called out as Fred and Angelina began to mingle in the crowd. Harry was wondering whom he should talk to next when someone crept up behind him.

            "There you are." Harry recognized her voice before he turned around. It was Hermione. "Are you having fun?" she asked.

            He put his arm around her. "Of course I am. Are you?"

            "Tons," she replied. "I hope my dad didn't scare you with that little pep talk of his."

            Harry shook his head. "He didn't," he assured her. They smiled at each other, temporarily forgetting about the crowd, until…

            "Harry. Hermione. Congratulations," said a soft, familiar voice. They turned around and saw Lupin standing before them.

            "Thank you, Professor Lupin," Hermione said with a warm smile.

            "You know, you two remind me of your parents, Harry, when they first got engaged. I'd never seen two people more happier and in love." He paused, a mixture of reminiscence and sadness flickered across his face. "Until now, that is."

            Harry nodded, oddly moved by this. "Thank you," he said gruffly. He tried to not let all of his emotions show at that moment. It wasn't just the thought of the parents he'd never met that was haunting him, it was the memory of someone else…someone who had been a father figure to Harry, if only for a few years…the very first person who made Harry feel that he had a family after all…

            "I miss him too, Harry," Lupin said sadly. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Sirius and your parents."

            "Me too," Harry admitted.

            Lupin's smile was still sad. "All three of them loved you very much. They would be proud of who you've become."

            He gave Harry a quick hug and Hermione a tissue to wipe her eyes with. With a final congratulations, Lupin moved on to talk to Mrs. Weasley. 

            "I needed to hear that," Harry revealed. "After all this time…I still needed that."

            Hermione kissed his cheek. "I love you," she said.

            "I know."

            Hermione raised her eyebrow. 

            "I mean, I love you too," he said quickly. They laughed, dissolving the sadness in the air. They remained blissful for a long time afterwards, until most of the guests had left already.

            "Where's Ron?" Hermione asked. "He's been gone a long time."

            "I'm right here," he said, his voice coming from behind them. 

            They turned around. "Ron! Lavender?" Harry exclaimed, seeing her standing beside Ron. "What are you doing here?"

            Lavender gave him a shaky smile. "She's the girl I've been seeing," Ron told them. "She's my girlfriend now."

            "Congratulations, Harry and Hermione," she said quietly.

            "Uh—wow—I mean, uh, thanks," Harry sputtered, blind sighted.

            "Yes, thank you," Hermione said coolly. She pointedly put her arm around Harry's waist. 

            "I know it's a bit of a shock," Ron said, "but I wasn't sure how to tell you. It's kind of weird, because of…yeah. So, now you know."

            Harry still felt a bit dumbfounded by this surprising news, but he tried to pull himself together. "Good on you," Harry said. "To both of you." He tried to smile sincerely, but it felt odd, even to him.

            "Do you mind if we talk in private, Harry?" Lavender asked.

            "Sure." He let go of Hermione, told her he'd be back in a moment, and lead Lavender to the terrace, where it was much quieter.

            "Harry—"

            "Let me go first. I'm really sorry that I hurt you, Lavender. Honestly. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

            "I know, Harry. It's okay. I wanted to apologize too."

            "What for?"

            "For…well, let's just say I was with you for the wrong reasons. A part of me only wanted to be with you because you're you. The famous Harry Potter."

            "Oh." Harry didn't know what else to say.

            "But the other part of me loved you. Really. Not Harry Potter, just 'Harry'." 

            "Oh," Harry said again. "I guess we're even, then."

            "I guess so."

            "Friends?"

            "Of course." Lavender smiled at him, and this time, his smile was sincere. They hugged. "Hermione's a lucky girl," she said.

            "Ron's a lucky guy," he countered.

            "Thanks. Should we go back in, then?"

            "Definitely."

 When they were inside, they smiled at each one last before going their separate ways.  Filled with content, Harry headed for the kitchen, where Hermione was waiting for him. 

THE END

That's it. That's all there is. _Fall Into Me_ is done. Again, I honestly hope you enjoyed this story, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the love you've given me—not just on this story, but for the other one, too. Don't forget, look for my new story, _Home_, coming soon. 

And that's all she wrote.  


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